[5] The original plan had been to move the people to the area immediately below the dam, but this was frustrated by large landowners in the target region.
[6] The move, mostly of Chinantec people, took place in two stages, ending up in 30 new villages in the Uxpanapa region of south-central Veracruz.
[3] The government bulldozed and burned large areas of the northern Selva Zoque forest to allow for farming in the new settlements, with mixed results.
[8] The reservoir waters have been changing from oligotrophic to eutrophic due to increased release of nutrients from submerged organic matter, combined with thermal stratification, making them less hospitable to many fish species.
The dams have also affected populations of some species of fish and crustaceans in the tributary rivers by disrupting their migration patterns.