The purpose of this study is to explain the governance trap afflicting water agencies of rural
municipalities in the Mexican state of Sonora. This trap is based on hierarchical governance arrangements of low
complexity that produce a short-term vision. Organisations are isolated from one another, governance
mechanisms are closed, and an atmosphere of distrust prevails among stakeholders, resulting in a lack of
coordination and the loss of resources, including water. We show how a multiple-use water services scheme can
become a governance trap when it allows the over-exploitation of a single source of drinking water by users who
do not pay for the service, in locations where the majority of water users have the ability to pay. The study
reviews the evidence of two rural regions in Sonora, Mexico. It explains how a past intermunicipal experience
failed, and also suggests how a new scheme of intermunicipal authorities could break such governance traps.
Specifically, it provides evidence that in small communities, collaborative large-scale arrangements for water
governance are more effective than they are in a single municipality. Building governance capacities within and
between water agencies and users would thus be advantageous. Although intermunicipal bodies are more
complex than traditional arrangements, requiring additional time and resources for decision-making, they result in
more sustainable decisions