Minas Gerais is rich in water resources both for portable water and for hydropower production. With its absolute abundance of fresh water and with its relatively good distribution system the state has one of the highest and best water supply levels in the country. The fresh water sources of Belo Horizonte, the rivers and lakes in the closest surroundings, all used to lie outside the agglomeration but are today taken over by the city's growth and embedded in urban fabric. This directly illustrates the paradox the city is in, where fresh water is available but due to the urbanization pressure it is of a poorer and poorer quality. The city is now seeking for more remote sources in order to meet the needs. The endeavor to protect the current water sources and the current process of naming new, have had consequences for the formation of the urban sprawl in the adjacent areas.

This study describes and tries to outline the consequences and the specific role water has in the formation of the metropolis. Consequently the more general question concerning the conditions under which ‘nature’ can become part of a metropolis and its territorial activities is raised in this work.