Conagua

What Conagua does

Conagua (Comisión Nacional del Agua) is Mexico's national water authority, established in 1989 as a decentralized public agency under the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT). It is the sole statutory body responsible for managing national water resources, including surface water, groundwater, rivers, reservoirs, aquifers, and coastal waters. The agency issues water concessions and permits, administers the 1944 US-Mexico Binational Water Treaty (which carries an annual obligation of 2.2 billion m³ of water delivery to the United States), and delivers official hydrometeorological forecasts including the national hurricane season outlook. Its outputs function both as regulatory decisions and as public-interest information services disseminated through official government communications channels.

The agency's core operational work centers on water rights permitting, hydrological and meteorological monitoring, drought and flood forecasting, and infrastructure development. Conagua is the central gatekeeper for industrial and mining water access in Mexico; current permit processing times of 6-18+ months are cited as a material bottleneck that adds an estimated $25-400 million in compounded capital costs to affected mining projects. Beyond permitting, the agency leads national water infrastructure planning, executing a US$20 billion program under Plan México that covers 17 major projects including the Rosarita Desalination Plant, and runs the Sheinbaum administration's water 'deprivatization' effort, which has recovered 4 billion m³ of water back to public stewardship. Weather forecasting includes categorical tropical cyclone outlooks (29-36 cyclones projected for the 2026 season, with 5-7 expected to reach Category 3-5 intensity).

As a government agency, Conagua does not operate a commercial revenue model; it is funded through the federal budget under SEMARNAT and serves public, industrial, municipal, and international stakeholders. Its customer base spans the Industrial/Mining sector (water permits, regulatory compliance), the Municipal/Urban population (over 35 million people lacking reliable water access), and the US under treaty obligations. Distribution is administrative rather than commercial: water permits, regulatory rulings, and public forecasts are delivered through official channels to enterprise operators, government counterparts, and media outlets. The agency has no disclosed pricing tiers, no commercial GTM motion, and no private capital structure, though its regulatory role makes it a binding constraint on Mexican capital deployment in water-intensive industries.

Name

Conagua

Legal name

Comisión Nacional del Agua

Website

https://www.gob.mx

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Conagua (Comisión Nacional del Agua) is Mexico's national water authority, established in 1989 under SEMARNAT, responsible for water resource management, hydrometeorological forecasting, infrastructure development, and administration of the 1944 US-Mexico Binational Water Treaty.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Water Resource Management

NAICS

Administration of Air and Water Resource and Solid Waste Management Programs (92411), Public Administration (92)

SIC

Water Supply (4941)

akta.pro primary industry

Water Resources Administration (Watersheds, Rivers, Groundwater) (BPAIAMAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Environmental Permitting & Impact Assessment (EIA/NEPA) (BPAIAMAK), Water Supply & Wastewater Utilities Administration (BPAIACAG), Post-Treatment & Remineralization (Stabilization, Blending, Disinfection) (EUANAFAG), Desalination Plant Construction (IMAFAGAG)

Keywords

• Water resource management
• Hydrological monitoring services
• Water rights permitting
• Meteorological forecasting
• Water infrastructure development

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Conagua (Comisión Nacional del Agua) is Mexico's national water authority, a decentralized federal agency under SEMARNAT that manages national water resources (surface water, groundwater, reservoirs, aquifers, coastal waters), issues water rights concessions and industrial water permits, conducts hydrometeorological and hurricane forecasting, develops water infrastructure such as desalination plants, and administers Mexico's obligations under the 1944 US-Mexico Binational Water Treaty.

Product overview

CONAGUA (Comisión Nacional del Agua) is Mexico's National Water Commission responsible for water resource management, including water permits, weather forecasting, and hydrological monitoring. Based on the source data, the primary service accessible through gob.mx is the wastewater discharge permit (CONAGUA845). The organization also provides hurricane season predictions and weather forecasting services for Mexico.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Hurricane Season and Tropical Cyclone Forecasting Annual and seasonal hurricane and tropical cyclone forecasts for Mexico, including category-level predictions (e.g., 29-36 tropical cyclones for the 2026 season, with 8-11 category 1-2 and 5-7 category 3-5 hurricanes). Disseminated to media outlets, government agencies, and the public as part of Mexico's national hydrometeorological service.
• Water Rights Concessions and Industrial Water Permits Statutory permitting services that grant legal authorization for industrial, mining, manufacturing, agricultural, and other large-scale water users to extract, use, and discharge water in Mexico. The wastewater discharge permit (CONAGUA845) is the primary service accessible through the gob.mx portal. Processing times currently run 6-18+ months and are a documented bottleneck for mining and manufacturing projects.
• Water Infrastructure Development (Plan México) Federal water infrastructure program encompassing 17 major projects and the Rosarita Desalination Plant under the US$20 billion Plan México water investment, designed to expand municipal water supply, desalination capacity, and water access for over 35 million people.
• National Hydrometeorological Monitoring and Severe Weather Alerts Continuous monitoring of surface water, groundwater, reservoirs, aquifers, and coastal waters, combined with drought, monsoon, and severe weather monitoring and alert services delivered to government agencies, industries, and the public.
• 1944 US-Mexico Binational Water Treaty Administration Administration of Mexico's 2.2 billion m³ annual water delivery obligation to the United States under the 1944 Binational Water Treaty, including cross-border coordination and international compliance.

Quantifiable outcome

• US$20 billion in water infrastructure investment planned under Plan México
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Dirección General de Aguas (DGA) - Chile: Chile's national water authority under the Ministry of Public Works, responsible for water resource administration and water rights allocation. Closely comparable as a Latin American national water regulator in a water-stressed geography.
• Central Water Commission (India): India's apex water resources technical organization, responsible for hydrological monitoring, flood forecasting, and water resource planning. Comparable in hydrological and flood-forecasting dimensions of CONAGUA's mandate at national scale.
• Agência Nacional de Águas e Saneamento Básico (ANA): Brazil's national water authority, responsible for water resource management, permitting, and hydrological regulation across Brazil. Directly comparable as a Latin American federal water administration agency with similar mandate scope.

Emerging players

• Bureau of Meteorology (Australia): Australia's national weather, climate, and water agency, providing hydrological and meteorological forecasting services. Comparable in the weather/hydrometeorological forecasting function CONAGUA performs for Mexico.

Others

• National Water Commission (CONAGUA - the Mexican entity itself is the anchor): Included for completeness — the anchor company is itself the Mexican national water commission.

Broad incumbents

• Environment Agency (UK): UK statutory body responsible for flood forecasting, water resource management, and environmental regulation. Comparable in integrated water resource management and flood/weather monitoring functions.
• U.S. Geological Survey (USGS): US federal science agency for hydrological monitoring, water resource assessment, and forecasting. Highly comparable to CONAGUA's hydrometeorological monitoring and water data mandate.
• US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE): US federal agency responsible for flood control, hydropower, and water resource infrastructure. Comparable on the flood control, hydrological forecasting, and large infrastructure delivery dimensions of CONAGUA's mandate.
• Bureau of Reclamation (USBR): US federal agency managing water infrastructure in 17 western states, including large-scale dams, reservoirs, and irrigation projects. Comparable in mandate scope (federal water resource management and major infrastructure delivery) but operates in a different geography.

Regional players

• Confederación Hidrográfica del Guadalquivir: Spanish river basin authority managing the Guadalquivir basin's water resources. Comparable as a European water administration body with hydrological planning, permitting, and basin-level water management functions.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/conagua_mx

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Conagua