4200

4200

4200

4200

43

00

4300

4000

4000

4450

4250

4250

4500

3800

3800

3850

4700

4300

3750

3750

395

4

0

000 4150

4100

4100

4150

4150

4600

4600

4400

4400

4350

4100

4100

4400

4400

4000

4000

4300

4300

4350

3800

4350

4050

4000

3750

4100

3850

3850

3 850

4100

4200

4250

4250

4250

4400

3800

3800

3900

3900

4050

4100 4100

4250

3

5 9

0

3950

4550

4500

0

0

0 0

0

4600

0

4400

3950

4

300

4350

4450

4150

4250

4150

4200

4550

4150

4850

4750

4300

4100

3900

4150

4250

4350

4200

4200

4950

0

4850

4900

4050

5000

4500

4800

4250

5050

4300

4350

4250

4400

4400

0

4100

4150

4150

4350

4550

4350

4250

4300

4650

4350

4550

4800

4350

4700

4700

3900

0

0

4250

4300

0

3900

0

4400

0

0

4700

0

0

0

4250

0

0

0

Causey Lingo

Underground

Water Basin

Fort Sumner

Underground

Water Basin

Curry County

Underground

Water Basin

Tucumcari

 Underground 

 Water Basin

Roswell Artesian

Underground

Water Basin

Portales

Underground

Water Basin

CHAVES

COUNTY

ROOSEVELT

COUNTY

DE BACA 

COUNTY

CURRY

COUNTY

GUADALUPE

COUNTY

QUAY

 COUNTY

Melrose

House

Forrest

Portales

Clovis

104°10' 104°0' 103°50' 103°40' 103°30' 103°20' 103°10'

35°0'

34°50'

34°40'

34°30'

34°20'

34°10'

34°0'

33°50'

33°40'

Figure 2. Water-level decline in Curry County, Portales, and Causey Lingo Underground Water Basins.

Base from U.S. Geological Survey digital data, 1:24,000

 

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

104°10' 104°0' 103°50' 103°40' 103°30' 103°20' 103°10'

35°0'

34°50'

34°40'

34°30'

34°20'

34°10'

34°0'

33°50'

33°40'

Figure 3. 2007 ground-water levels and aquifer-saturated thickness in Curry County, Portales, and Causey Lingo Underground Water Basins.

104°10' 104°0' 103°50' 103°40' 103°30' 103°20' 103°10'

35°0'

34°50'

34°40'

34°30'

34°20'

34°10'

34°0'

33°50'

Figure 4. Depth-to-water map.

Portales Valley

0 2.5 5 10 Miles

0 2.5 5 10 Kilometers

0 5 10 20 Miles

0 5 10 20Kilometers

EXPLANATION

Area of variable

 or no saturation

Municipalities

EXPLANATION

Current Water Levels, in feet

dashed where approximate

Saturated Thickness, in feet

2007

0–10

11–20

21–30

31–40

41–50

Area of variable

 or no saturation

61–70

71–80

81–90

91–100

101–110

111–120

Index

Intermediate

DEPTH TO WATER 

 CONTOUR – Shows 

 depth to water; dashed 

 where approximate. 

 Contour interval 25 ft; 

 North American 

 Vertical Datum of 1988 

 (NAVD 88).

25

100

10

200

200

100

100

100

200

100

300

30

300

0

100

300

300

100

100

200

100

100

300

300

100

200

200

100

200

200

100

100

100

200

300

1 00

100

100

100

200

100

100

100

200

200

100

300

100

100

1 100

00

100

100

Portales

Texico

Fort

Sumner

Clovis

400

100

Portales Valley

Current (2004-07) Conditions and Changes in Ground-Water Levels from Predevelopment to 2007, Southern High Plains Aquifer, East-Central 

New Mexico—Curry County, Portales, and Causey Lingo Underground Water Basins

By

Anne Tillery

2008

Prepared in cooperation with the

NEW MEXICO OFFICE OF THE STATE ENGINEER

SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATIONS MAP 3038

Location Map

EXPLANATION

Underground Water Basins

Curry County

Portales

Causey Lingo

0 2.5 5 10 Miles

0 2.5 5 10 Kilometers

Figure 1. Aerial photographs from an area halfway between the cities of Portales 

and Clovis taken in 1949 (A) and 2005 (B) showing development of pivot irrigation. National Archives and Records Administration

Earth Data Analysis Center

Table 1. Acres of irrigated cropland, including idle, fallow, and diverted acreage.

[From New Mexico Office of the State Engineer, technical reports on water use by categories in 

New Mexico counties and river basins, and irrigated acreage (Sorensen, 1997; Wilson, 1992; 

Wilson and Lucero, 1997, Wilson and others, 2003)]

County 1940 1950 1960 1970 1975 1990 1999

 Curry -- 3,000 87,000 192,000 198,630 222,200 145,420

 Roosevelt 11,300 30,000 62,000 103,700 135,000 143,670 87,342

A B

New Study Area

Mexico

EXPLANATION

Predevelopment (1931–1954) to 2007

water-level decline, in feet

Insufficient data

26–50

51–75

76–100

101–125

126–150

151–175

BASE OF AQUIFER CONTOUR (from 

 Hart and McAda, 1984) – Shows base 

 of aquifer; dashed where approximate. 

 Contour interval 50 ft; North American 

 Vertical Datum of 1988 (NAVD 88).

2004-07 water-level measurement

Historical water-level measurement

Continuous record well

Municipalities

Less than 25

3900

Area of variable or no saturation

Introduction

 The Southern High Plains aquifer extends across parts of southeast New Mexico and 

northwest Texas and is part of the larger High Plains aquifer that extends from South Dakota to 

Texas (Hart and McAda, 1985). The Curry County, Portales, and Causey Lingo Underground 

Water Basins, as designated by the New Mexico Office of the State Engineer 

(www.ose.state.nm.us), encompass all of Curry County, most of Roosevelt County, and small 

parts of Quay and Chaves Counties in east-central New Mexico. 

 The Southern High Plains in New Mexico is defined by a plateau, bounded on the north by 

the Canadian River Valley and on the east and west by prominent escarpments rising 300 feet 

(ft) or more above the lower lands. The area has been described as having gently sloping plains, 

fertile soil, abundant sunshine, few streams, and frequent winds (McGuire and others, 2000). 

The physiography of the plains includes numerous shallow depressions, playa lakes, sand dunes, 

and small stream valleys. One of the largest topographic variations on the plains is Portales 

Valley, which extends from the west-northwest to the east-southeast for tens of miles though the 

area of Portales, N.M. The surface of the plateau generally slopes east-southeast at rates ranging 

from about 8 to 20 ft per mile (Cronin, 1969). The climate of the Southern High Plains area in 

New Mexico is semiarid, with low average annual precipitation (16.9 inches [in.] in Portales, 

17.9 in. in Clovis, Western Region Climate Center, 2008), low relative humidity, high rate of 

evaporation (110 in./year), warm to hot summers, and moderate winters.

 The unconfined Southern High Plains aquifer is composed primarily of the Ogallala 

Formation of late Tertiary age and alluvial sediments of Quaternary age (Langman and others, 

2004). The Ogallala Formation consists of valley-fill deposits of clay, silt, fine to coarse-grained 

sand, gravel, and caliche, the distributions of which vary both vertically and horizontally. The 

formation is mostly unconsolidated although locally the sediments are cemented with calcium carbonate 

near the top. The formation ranges in thickness from zero to as much as 500 ft in east-central Curry 

County. The valley fill of the Portales Valley consists of sand, silt, and some gravel in the lower 1 to 10 

ft of the deposit (Cronin, 1969). 

 The ground-water reservoir in the Ogallala Formation is continuous throughout most of the Southern 

High Plains. The aquifer is typically underlain by impermeable clays and shales although in some 

places the underlying geologic units of Cretaceous age are hydraulically connected to the aquifer. The 

principal source of recharge to the aquifer is infiltration of precipitation on the land surface. An 

unknown amount of water pumped from the formation for irrigation percolates back into the aquifer and 

constitutes some reduction in net discharge. Annual recharge estimates range from 0.5 to 1 inch 

(Cronin, 1969).

 Irrigation from wells in the Portales Valley part of the Southern High Plains started as early as 1910, 

but it was not until the 1930s that development began on a substantial scale (Cronin, 1969). By the 

1940s, irrigation using ground water from the Southern High Plains aquifer was extensive (McGuire, 

2007). Irrigation expanded during the following years, especially during the drought years of the early 

1950s. Irrigated acres have increased from initial development through the early 1990s in Curry and 

Roosevelt Counties (table 1; fig. 1). Recent decreases in irrigated acreages may be due in part to the 

increased cost of pumping water from the declining water table.

 Ground-water withdrawals in the New Mexico part of the High Plains aquifer had already 

greatly exceeded ground-water recharge by 1953; therefore, water levels had already declined and 

would continue to decline (McGuire, 2007). A study of ground-water levels completed in 1978 

(Hart and McAda, 1985) indicated that levels had declined from 20 ft to more than 100 ft below 

land surface since predevelopment (pre-1940) years. By 2005, the estimated change in water 

storage in the New Mexico part of the High Plains aquifer since predevelopment was -9.7 million 

acre-ft, and declines were continuing (McGuire and others, 2000).

 The Southern High Plains aquifer is the principal aquifer in Curry and Roosevelt Counties and, because of the large 

areal extent of the aquifer and the large yields of water to wells completed in the aquifer, is the primary source of water 

in southeastern New Mexico (Hart and McAda, 1985). Successful water-supply planning for New Mexico’s Southern 

High Plains requires knowledge of the current aquifer conditions and a context to estimate future trends given current 

aquifer-management policy. At a time when water planners and the wider water-resources community in New Mexico 

are looking for alternatives to help slow the depletion of the High Plains Aquifer, this report provides a summary of the 

current (2007) water-level status of the Southern High Plains aquifer in New Mexico, including a basis for estimating 

future trends by comparison with historical conditions. 

 This report includes estimates of the extent of ground-water level declines in the Curry County, Portales, and 

Causey-Lingo Ground-water Management Area parts of the High Plains Aquifer in eastern New Mexico since 

predevelopment (fig. 2). Maps representing 2007 water levels, water-level declines, aquifer saturated thickness, and 

depth to water accompanied by hydrographs from representative wells for the Southern High Plains aquifer in the Curry 

County, Portales, and Causey Lingo Underground Water Basins were prepared in cooperation with the New Mexico 

Office of the State Engineer. The predevelopment water-levels on the maps correspond to predevelopment water levels 

created for the entire aquifer at a larger scale by Cederstrand and Becker (1999).

Methods of Map Generation

 Maps of water levels in the study area in predevelopment (1931-54) and current (2004-07) time periods were 

constructed from 722 water-level measurements. Measurements were compiled from a USGS ground-water 

site-inventory database (waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis) containing information on historical and current ground-water levels 

throughout the State. Measurements were collected as part of a Federal, State, and local cooperative observation-well 

program in New Mexico (Allen, 1994).

 Ground-water levels were recorded in feet below land surface. Water levels were converted to elevation by using 

the elevation documented for the well from a USGS topographic 7.5-minute quadrangle map. Because of the shallow 

Acknowledgments

The author thanks the following people from the U.S. Geological Survey, New Mexico Water Science Center: 

Douglas McAda for expertise and guidance, Roger Durall, and Micheal Swartz for GIS and database support. For 

their review comments and suggestions, the author thanks Gordon Rattray and Phil Bowman of the New Mexico 

Water Science Center and Ghassan Musharrafieh of the New Mexico Office of the State Engineer.

Selected References

Allen, H.R, 1994, Water-resources activities of the U.S. Geological Survey in New Mexico, fiscal year 1992: U.S. 

Geological Survey Open-File Report 93-661, 75 p. 

Cederstrand, J.R, and Becker, M.F., 1999, Digital map of predevelopment water levels for the High Plains Aquifer 

in parts of Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas and Wyoming: U.S. 

Geological Survey Open-File Report 99-264, digital data.

Cronin, J.G., 1969, Ground water in the Ogallala Formation in the Southern High Plains of Texas and New Mexico: 

U.S. Geological Survey Hydrologic Investigations Atlas HA-330, 9 p., 4 sheets , scale 1:500,000.

Hart, D L. and McAda, D.P., 1985, Geohydrology of the High Plains aquifer in southeastern New Mexico: U.S. 

Geological Survey Hydrologic Investigations Atlas HA-679, 4 maps on 2 sheets, scale = 1:500,000. 

Gutentag, E.D., Heimes, F.J., Krothe, N.C., Luckey, R.R., and Weeks, J.B., 1984, Geohydrology of the High Plains 

aquifer in parts of Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, and Wyoming: 

U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1400–B, 63 p.

Langman, J.B., Gebhardt, F.E., and Falk, S.E., 2004, Ground-Water hydrology and water quality of the Southern 

High Plains aquifer, Melrose Air Force Range, Cannon Air Force Base, Curry and Roosevelt Counties, New 

Mexico, 2002-03: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2004-5158, 42 p.

McGuire, V.L., Johnson, M.R., Schieffer, R.L., Stanton, J.S., Sebree, S.K., and Verstraeten, I.M., 2000, Water in 

storage and approaches to ground-water management, High Plains aquifer: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 

1243, 51 p.

McGuire, V.L., 2007, Water-level changes in the High Plains aquifer, predevelopment to 2005 and 2003 to 2005: 

U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2006-5324, 7 p.

Sorensen, E. F., 1977, Water use by categories in New Mexico counties and river basins, and irrigated and dry 

cropland acreage in 1975: New Mexico State Engineer Technical Report 41, 34 p.

Western Region Climate Center, 2008, Historical climate information: available at www.wrcc.dri.edu/index.html, 

accessed February 2008.

Wilson, B.C., 1992, Water use by categories in New Mexico counties and river basins, and irrigated acreage in 1990: 

New Mexico State Engineer Office Technical Report 47, 141 p.

Wilson, B.C., and Lucero, A.A, 1997, Water use by categories in New Mexico counties and river basins, and irrigated 

acreage in 1995: New Mexico State Engineer Office Technical Report 49, 149 p.

Wilson, B.C., Lucero, A. A., Romero, J. T., Romero, P. J., 2003, Water use by categories in New Mexico counties 

and river basins, and irrigated acreage in 2000: New Mexico State Engineer Office Technical Report 51, 164 p.

terrain in the area, the maximum topographic interval encountered on topographic 

maps used was 10 ft. The uncertainty was calculated as one-half the topographic 

interval giving an uncertainty of 5 ft in the elevation estimates. 

 Water-level measurements collected during winter or early spring were selected 

for this study to avoid having data affected by pumping-drawdown caused by 

irrigation withdrawals; however, ground-water levels measured early in the 

irrigation season (April) were used from six predevelopment wells because they 

were the earliest ground-water levels available at those locations. In all six of these 

instances, the measurements used represent the highest water level recorded for the 

period of record in these wells. Therefore, despite being measured during the 

irrigation season, the author considers the measurements used to be the best estimate 

of predevelopment water levels.

 Data from two predevelopment and two current wells whose water levels were 

not representative of aquifer conditions were removed from the datasets. Data from 

these four wells were considered to be unrepresentative of aquifer conditions 

because they may have been in perched water tables tens of feet above the 

ground-water levels of the aquifer. The predevelopment water-level measurements 

removed were 3 mi east and 5.5 mi southeast of Clovis. The current water-level 

measurements removed were west of Portales, near the edge of the aquifer, and 19 

mi due north of Clovis.

 Water-level measurements from 507 wells were used to generate the 

predevelopment water-level map. All measurements obtained were between 

February 1931 and December 1954, with preference given to the earliest 

measurement on record. Two hundred and thirteen measurements were made prior to 

1940, and 294 measurements were from 1940 through 1955. Because ground-water 

development for irrigation began during the 1940s, these water-level measurements 

represent the predevelopment to early development period. 

The expanded time period for water-level measurements for the 

predevelopment water-level map was necessary because of the lack in geographic 

extent of historical data for the predevelopment time period. Well measurements 

prior to 1945 occurred only near the town of Portales and in the surrounding Portales 

Valley. To increase the coverage area in the northwest part of this map around the 

communities of House and Forrest, water-level measurements from 1945 to 1950 

were added. Finally, inclusion of water-level measurements from 1950 to 1955 

greatly expanded the geographic extent to include areas around Clovis, Melrose, and 

along the Texas-New Mexico State line. 

Predevelopment water levels in areas between geographic clusters of data 

were interpolated on the basis of the nearest data points. Because of the irregular 

geographical distribution of predevelopment data points, interpolation for 

predevelopment water levels occasionally had to be extended across distances as 

much as 25 miles. Confidence in ground-water estimates is therefore lower in the 

interpolated areas and higher closer to the data clusters. The dates of the earliest 

water-level measurements in a particular area are indicative of the time period in 

which that area was developed. 

The development of irrigation in the study area from 1940 through 1955 

was fairly rapid and caused an average decline in water level of 13 ft and a median 

decline of 9 ft across the three regions (Portales Valley, area near House and Forrest, 

and area near Clovis and Melrose) during that 15-year time period.

Water-level measurements from 215 wells were used to generate the 

current ground-water-level map. All measurements obtained were made between 

January 2004 and February 2007, with preference given to the most recent 

measurement. The current ground-water data are broadly distributed throughout the 

study area with the exception of some data gaps in the northwest corner. The 

water-level change throughout the area from 2004 to 2007 ranged from -7 to 13 ft 

with an average decline of 3.7 ft and a median decline of 4 ft.

To create the water-level contour maps, the ground-water-level data were 

plotted by using a geographic information system (GIS). A triangular irregular 

network (TIN) was generated representing the water-level data points, and 

potentiometric contours were generated in GIS by linear interpolation from the TIN. 

The interpolated contour lines calculated by GIS were smoothed by hand to remove 

contour irregularities unsupported by data and checked for inconsistencies with base 

of aquifer and topographic contours. 

The water-level declines were established by subtracting water-level 

changes at all locations where current and predevelopment data points overlap and 

by subtraction of GIS points from a surface for the remaining areas. The sum of the 

topographic and period of record water-level uncertainties discussed previously and 

associated with the water-level decline map is +/- 23 ft. The saturated-thickness map 

was developed by subtracting the base of the aquifer elevations of Hart and McAda 

(1985) from the current water table (fig. 3) at each contour GIS node. The 

uncertainties associated with the base of aquifer are not documented in Hart and 

McAda (1985). The contour interval, however, is 50 ft so the assumed uncertainty is 

+/- 25 ft. The sum of the base of aquifer elevation uncertainties (+/- 25 ft) and the 

current water-level uncertainties (+/- 9 ft) associated with the saturated thickness 

map is +/- 34 ft. The depth-to-water map was developed by subtracting the current 

ground-water levels established for this project from the USGS surface elevation 

30-meter (m) digital elevation model. In some instances the base of aquifer 

elevations (Hart and McAda, 1985) were found to be in conflict with surface 

elevations derived from USGS 30-m digital elevation models. In these situations, 

data from the surrounding area were used to interpolate across the area in conflict. 

The method used to develop the water-level decline, water-table, saturated 

thickness, and depth-to-water maps has inherent inaccuracy. Accuracy decreases 

with distance from common points as interpolation algorithms in the GIS produce 

surfaces with less influence from the known data. The results were checked at 10 

wells, where both predevelopment and current water-level measurements were 

available. The differences between water levels at these points were found to be in 

agreement (within 1 ft) with the estimates of water-level change, saturated thickness, 

and depth to water created with GIS. 

Ground Water in the High Plains Aquifer

The configuration of the water table in the Curry County, Portales, and 

Causey Lingo Underground Water Basins is shown in figures 2-4. The water table 

ranges in elevation from 3,820 ft in the east-central part of the aquifer near the Texas 

State line to an estimated 5,080 ft in the northwestern-most extent of the aquifer (fig. 

3). As a result, the water table has a general east-southeast slope towards the Texas 

state line (Gutentag and others, 1984; Hart and McAda, 1985) and ground water 

generally flows in this direction. Depth to ground water varies with surface 

elevation but generally increases from east to west with the minimum depth 

occurring along the eastern edges of the study area and a maximum depth of over 

450 ft occurring in a narrow band approximately 10 mi long, roughly parallel with 

the Portales Valley, 13 mi north of the Town of Clovis (fig. 4).

As depicted on the map, the aquifer is not saturated in some areas, or the 

saturation is laterally discontinuous with the principal water body (Gutentag and 

others, 1984). A few wells in these areas are drilled in areas delineated as having 

little or no saturated thickness and likely will not yield water unless they penetrate 

sediment in buried channels or sinks in the bedrock.

The current saturated thickness ranges from 0 ft in many areas to 116 ft east 

of Portales, New Mexico, near the Texas State line. The areas of maximum 

saturated thickness coincide with areas of maximum water-level decline. The 

water-level declined as much as 175 ft (fig. 2). Hydrographs of wells with 

continuous records from predevelopment to 2006 indicate rates of water-level 

declines from about 0.4 ft/yr at wells 341852103291801 and 341002103303001 west 

and northwest of Portales to 1.76 ft/yr at well 340842103123101 southeast of 

Portales.

3940

Portales Valley

Fort Sumner

Underground 

Water Basin

Curry County

Underground

Water Basin

Causey Lingo

Underground

Water Basin

Portales

Underground

Water Basin

Tucumcari

Underground 

Water Basin

Texico

Clovis

Portales

QUAY

COUNTY

CURRY

COUNTY

ROOSEVELT

COUNTY

DE BACA

COUNTY

GUADALUPE

COUNTY

4100

4080

4060

4040

4020

4000

3980

3940 3960

4120

3920

4300

4280

4140

3900

4320

4340

4380

4360

4260

4180

4500

4200

4240

4220

4520

4160

4540

3880

4480

4560

3860

4460

4700

4720

4580

4600

4440

4640

3840

4420

4660

4400

4680

3820

4780

4960

4940

4800

4820

4980

4840

5000

4920

4860

5020

4880

4900

5040

5060

4320

4260

4300

4780

3860

4020

4340

4340

4240

4280

4380

4380

3820

4320

4220

4060

4180

4240

4160

4540

4460

4040

4060

4260

4300

4100

4120

4220

4280

4080

4360

3960

4820

4460

4340

4240

4040

4360 4660

4160

4420

4060

4640

3860

4200

4120

4920 4880

3920

4280

4300

4700

4800

4160

4580

4000

3980

4220

4700

3940

4480

4220

4140

4440

4200

4720

4460

4380

4000

4240

4140

4220

4400

4260

4120

4120

3900

4100

4160

3960

4360

3840

4140

4160

4400

4520

4660

4900

4220

4260

3920

4480

4180

4020

4260

4280

4340

4640

4200

4140

4240

3880

4180

4500

4540

4520

3980

4020

4320

3940

4400

3840

4420

4420

4160

3960

3960

4380

4480

4080

4440

4060

4180

4460

4300

4280

4200

3880

3980

4560

4400

4440

5080

EXPLANATION

Saturated Thickness, in feet

2007

0

1–10

11–20

21–30

31–40

41–50

Area of variable or no saturation

51–60

61–70

71–80

81–90

91–100

101–110

WATER-LEVEL CONTOUR–

Shows altitude of water-level;

dashed where approximate. Contour 

interval 20 ft; North American 

Vertical Datum of 1988 (NAVD 88).

4100

Municipalities