These vegetable gardens were historically watered by the surplus of thermal baths and the precipitation that flowed into the main irrigation canal. This canal, formed by stone walls reaching three meters high, is the main element of the irrigation system. However, as the population increased, the stream became polluted with sewage from the urban center, altering the once fresh and flowing canal into an open sewer. This created health risks for agriculture as well as for urban life with unbearable odors and a deterioration of the beautiful landscape. The project originated with the Public Space Board, an environmental association that gives agency to local initiatives. The City Council posed the challenge to solve the need for clean irrigating water, to redirect the flow of wastewater, and to facilitate accessibility from the city center. Thus began a project to reclaim clean water for the public as well as to shift the community’s burdened view of water into one of pride and cultural heritage. By learning traditional and organic management of water, it emphasized the community’s ownership of the project in self-managing the water, giving agency to the citizens to aid in the transference of responsibility.