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Groundwater from the La Paz arid coastal aquifer in Baja California, Mexico, is essentially the only source of drinking water for the local population and tourists, as well as irrigation water for agricultural needs. The intensive exploitation of the aquifer and water cycling has resulted in groundwater abatement (up to 10 m) and high salinity (up to similar to 5800 mg l(-1)). A study using hydrochemistry, isotopic (deuterium, oxygen-18 and carbon-14) and gaseous tracers (chlorofluorocarbons CFC-11, CFC-12, CFC-113), as well as multivariate statistics, was developed to elucidate groundwater composition, flow and occurrence. Groundwater is of meteoric origin, and a large proportion is subject to evaporation. The primary natural recharge is generated in the El Novillo and Las Cruces ranges, and groundwater subsequently flows in a SE-NW direction toward the coast. The initial water type is the result of discordant dissolution of silicate minerals and ion exchange on soils. In the lower plain portion, the aquifer system is recharged from irrigation return flow and seawater intrusion, which significantly affects groundwater chemistry. Nitrate and chloride concentrations indicate that groundwater is highly affected by an overuse of fertilizers in agricultural activities, but there is little effect from urban activities. Seawater intrusion has progressed rapidly during the past decade, and the impact currently extends 13 km inland. Radiocarbon residence time calculations suggest that groundwater is modern, with the exception of Chametla and El Centerario sites in the central and western lowlands with ages of up to similar to 5000 years. These waters indicate an additional recharge source for the upconing of fossil groundwater or regional flow.