DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 

GEORGE OTIS SMITH, DIRECTOR 

1VATER-SUPPLY PAPER 260 

PRELIMINARY REPORT 

ON THE 

GROUND WATERS OF ESTANCIA VALLEY 

NEW MEXICO 

BY 

OSCAR E. MEINZER 

WASHINGTON 

GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 

1910 

CONTENTS. 

Introduction ............................................ ___ ._. __ ._. ______ _ 

Location and area ............... , .. 1 ..... _ .................. ···.· _ ........ . 

Geographic relations ............... -I- ... --.-.--------------------------- Development.~---·····- ............. ___ ........... _______ .. __________ _ 

. Investigation and reports ............................ -................. . 

Outline of the geology •............... : .... _ ....................... : ...... . 

Valley filL ........................ · ..... · ......... _._ ..... _ ......... _ .. . 

Work of the streams ....•............ ··" ........................... . 

Distribution of alluvial deposits ..•.......... ~ ............• _ .... . 

Origin of alluvial deposits ..................................... . 

Character of alluvial deposita .................................. . 

Work of the lake .... ; ............................................. . 

Shore features .... : ........................... ~- .......... . 

Lake sediments ............................................ . 

Beach materiaL ...................................... . 

Stratified sedin1ents ................................... . 

Work of the wind ................................... : ............. . 

Salt basins and clay hills .............................................. . 

Soils .......................................... : ........................... . 

Red loamy soiL .... ~ ...................................... _ ........... . 

Sandy soils ........................................................ · .. .' 

Alkali soils ............................................................ . 

Water .......•......... : .... , ...................................... ___ . ____ _ 

Source and disposaL .... '· ............................................ . 

Evaporation from the surface .........•............................... 

Mountain springs and streams ..................................... . 

Floods ..................................................... ·_ ... , .. 

Underflow .•.. · ................................................... . 

Overfilling of undergroun~ reservo!f ............ -.- ...............•.. :. 

Ground-water table ...... ; .........•................................... 

Recovery of ground water ............................................. . 

Yield of wells in the valley filL. ...................•......... · ...... . 

Available quantity of ground water ...........•..........•........... 

Quality of the water .................................................. . 

Dissolved solids ....... ' ................... ' ...................•..... 

Methods of investigation .....................................•...... 

g!::~~~~li~i~;~~-------~::::::: :::::::::::: :~: ~::::::::::::::::: ~::: Effect of dissolved solids •..•............ , .......................... . 

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4 CONTENTS. 

Irrigation ................................................................ . 

Utilization of ground water ............................................ . 

Present development ............................................. .. 

Possibilities of future development ................................. . 

Proper type of irrigation systems .............................. _ ... . 

Proper types of wells ................................... _ .. _ . _ ..... _ 

Gravity infiltration ditches ......................................... . 

Cost of pumping ........................... _ ........................... . 

Windmills ............................................... _ ........... . 

Value of crops ........................................... _ ............. . 

Best use of the water ................................................ _ .. 

The alkali problem ................................................... . 

Summary ............................................................. . 

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PRELIMINARY REPORT QN THE GRbUND WATERS OF 

ESTANCIA VALLEY, NEW MEXICO. 

I 

By OscAR E. MEINZER. 

INTRODUCTION, 

LOCATION AND AREA. 

Estancia Valley lies near the geographie center of New Mexico, 

south of Santa Fe and east of Albuquerque. The valley is a depression with no drainage outlet. It has a maximum extent of about 65 

miles north and south and 40 miles east and west, and includes an 

area of about 2,000 square miles. 

GEOGRAPmC RELATIONS. 

On the west Estancia Valley is separated from the Rio Grande 

valley by a mountain wall; on the ·east it is bordered by a maze of 

hills which divide it from the upland that slopes toward the Pecos 

Valley; on the north it rises gradually until it ends abruptly as a 

plateau overlooking the valley of Galisteo Creek, which flows westward into the Rio Grande; on the southwest it is terminated by a mesa; 

and on the southeast, where it is hemmed in between the mesa and 

the hills, it is separated by a low divide from another closed basin. 

DEVELOPMENT. 

This valley has long supported a sparse population. Nestled in 

the western foothills, remote from any city or railroad, the Mexican 

villages of Chilili, Tajique, Torreon, Manzano, and Punta de Agua 

have for generations led a peaceful but primitive existence, their 

inhabitants depending for a livelihood chiefly on their flocks of sheep. 

Moreover, planted here and there on the broad, level expanses of the 

valley proper are isolated establishments which have been the 

homes of independent and prosperous ranchers, most of whom are 

Mexicans. · I 

But within the last decade a great change has taken place in this 

region. Two railways have been built-the Santa Fe Central, which 

traverses the entire length of the valley, and the "Belen cut-off" of 

5 
6 GROUND WATERS OF ESTANCIA VALLEY, NEW MEXICO. 

the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway, which crosses its southern part. Hundreds of homesteaders have come to take possession of 

the land, and eight villages have sprung up along the railways. 

INVESTIGATION AND REPORTS. 

Insufficient rainfall during recent years has caused crop failures and 

has created an urgent demand for an investigation of the feasibility 

of irrigating with ground water. In response to this demand and for 

the purpose of classifying the land under the enlarged-homestead 

act, an examination of the valley covering a period of six weeks was 

made by the writer in the summer of 1909. The time available was 

not sufficient to permit a thorough investigation. Hence attention 

was given especially to the more pressing and practical phases of the 

problem. 

A report embodying all the results of the work has been prepared, 

but this report contains maps and other illustrations which will delay 

its publication, so that some months must elapse before it will be ready 

·for distribution. In view of the rapid development now under way 

in the valley and the immediate need of the settlers there for all th(l 

definite information that can be supplied, it has seemed desirable to 

abstract from the complete report the facts and deductions that are 

of most practical value and to publish them in this brief preliminary paper. 

OUTLINE OF THE GEOLOGY. 

VALLEY FILL. 

T4e hard rock floor of Estancia Valley is covered by deposits that 

may be grouped under the general term "valley fill." Nearly all 

these sediments came originally from the highlands that border the 

valley and are the product of thousands of years of weathering and 

denudation. The erosive processes which have carved the canyons 

and given form to the serrate peaks have at the same time supplied 

the material that has accumulated in the lowlands as the valley fill. 

WORK OF THE STREAMS. 

DISTRIBUTION OF THE ALLUVIAL DEPOSITS. 

Apparently the bulk of the valley fill consists of alluvial depositsthat is, of materials laid down by streams and not rehandled by any 

other agency. Such deposits underlie the broad belt comprising the 

alluvial slopes, are interbedded and intermingled with lake deposits in 

the littoral zone, as can be seen in many natural and artificial exposures, and probably occur at no great depths below the lake sediments 

in the lake flat .and clay hill area. Their relation to the lake deposits 

can be best understood after the latter have been described (p. 8). 
OUTLINE OF THE GEOLOGY, 7 

The alluvial material is much thicker in some localities than in' 

others. If the interpretations of, the well sections are correct, the 

total thickness of th~ valley fill is 312 feet at Willard, 225 feet in the 

test wells 4 miles east of Estancia, and 233 feet in H. C. Williams's 

well south of Estancia. L, Knight's deep well (in the NE. i sec. 1, 

T. 5 N., R. 8· E.) was carried to a depth of 240 feet without encountering rock. In many parts of the valley, however, especially on its east 

and west margins, the alluvium is much thinner and rock crops out. 

ORIGIN OF T~ ALLUVIAL DEPOSITS. 

The alluvial deposits were laid down by streams which werEI probably intermittent and exceedingly irregular in their flow, depending 

then, as now, chiefly on the sudden and capricious visitations of heavy 

local storms. The work of these streams was correspondingly capri;.. 

cious and variable; at one place they eroded, only to deposit ~ little 

farther on the load which they thus picked up; at one place they left 

behind coarse gravel, and at another they laid down only fine silt. 

The same locality was at different times subjected to all these conditions and, moreover, by the frequent changing of the courses of the . 

streams, was at one time an arroyo and at another an interstream 

area. It is therefore not surprising that the alluvial deposits consist 

of heterogeneous beds which have little continuity or regularity, and 

that two wells in the same locality should have quite different sections. 

CKABACTER OF TltE ALLUVIAL DEPOSITS. 

Most of the alluvial material consists of clay with which are assoeil}ted pebbles and bowlders of different sizes and composition. In 

general the pebbles and .bowlders decrease, both in size and abundance, from the mountain borders, where bowlder beds with littl~ 

·or no clay may occur, toward the central portion of the valley, where 

clay virtually free from pebbles may be found. But though coarse 

materials form a larger proportion of the mass in the regions near 

the mountains than in the interior, yet well sections furnish abundant 

proof that beds of clean gr:avel and sand occur in the very heart of the 

valley. The composition of the pebbles depends on the kind of 

rocks that constitute the uplands and the resistance of these.rocks to 

weathering and wear. On the whole, pebbles of limestone are by 

far the.most numerous, because this rock is well represented in the 

uplands, especially on the west, and is also resistant in character. 

WORK OF THE LAKE. 

At its period of greatest extension the lake that occupied the central 

portion of the valley was about 35 miles long and 23 miles wide and 

had an area of about 450 square :r;niles; Its maximum depth at this 
8 GROUND WATERS OF ESTANCIA VALLEY, NEW MEXICO. 

period was almost 150 feet, and its shore line, which nearly coinCides 

with the 6,200-foot contour, was about 150 miles long. If this lake 

were now in existence the villages of Estancia and Willard would be 

100 feet under water; Mcintosh and Progreso would also be submerged; Moriarty and Lucy would virtually be lake ports; and 

Stanley, Mountainair, and Cedar Vale would be inland towns. The 

higher ground which surrounded the lake has been explored everywhere, but no outlet channel has been found and it is therefore 

certain that the lake had no outlet and that its water was salt. 

The theory of the existence of an ancient lake in the valley is based 

on the presence of shore features and lake sediments. 

SHORE FEATURES. 

Within the littoral zone there are sea cliffs, terraces, beaches, 

beach ridges, spits, and bars. These features are found on all sides 

of the lake flat betw~en the altitudes of 6,100 and 6,200 feet above 

sea level. 

LAKE SEDIMENTS. 

Beach material.-Most of the material constituting the beaches, 

beach ridges, spits, and bars is gravel. The pebbles are waterworn 

and many of them are covered with a gray coat of lime. The best 

exposures of beach material are found in the gaps that have been cut 

through the bars. 

Stratified sediments.-Except where the salt basins and clay hills 

occur,· the large area inclosed by the shore zone is exceedingly flat; 

but the salt basins are excavated to depths of 10 to 20 feet and more 

in the material under this plain, and their sides are generally ste«:)p 

and thus expose the strata to good advantage. Wells have also been 

dug and these are usually left uncased, showing the materials through 

which they extend. Moreover, many cellars and dugouts have been 

made, most of which likewise remain unlined. Ample opportunity 

is therefore afforded to examine the formation which immediately 

underlies the plain. This formation is totally different from that 

which underlies the alluvial slopes. It is perfectly stratified, consisting of innumerable thin layers lying one upon another, each layer 

traceable for an indefinite distance. It is precisely the kind of deposit 

which would be formed at the quiet bottom of a large body of standing water and which could be formed in no other manner. It was 

observed in many exposures, natural and artificial, and in widely 

separated localities. It is practically coextensive with the lake flat 

and clay hills area and can be seen wherever there is a salt basin, a 

dug well, a cellar, or any other excavation. 

Clay or shale constitutes the bulk of the material, but layers of 

sand are also present and beds of grit and fine gravel were observed 

near the outer margin of the lake flat. 
OUTLINE' OF THE GEOLOGY. 9 

Of the thickness of the lake sediments little is definitely known, 

but the available evidence indicates that they are relatively thin and 

are underlain at no great depth by alluvial deposits. The principal 

evidence concerning their thickness is found in the beds of alluvial 

gravel encountered in drilling on the lake flat and in the transition 

in many wells from grayish lake sediments near the surface to alluvial 

deposits of red clay at greater depths. 

WORK OF THE WIND. 

On the east side of the valley there are great masses of wind-blown 

sand, the largest accumulations being found east of Mcintosh, in the 

west-central part ofT. 6 N., R. ll.E., and in an adjacent ar{)a to the 

west, and in certain localities both north and south of Progreso. Much 

of this sand js heaped into fresh dunes and is at present being handled by the winds. 

SALT BASINS AND CLAY HILLS. 

The salt basins are found in the lowest portion of Estancia Valley. 

They are not, however, remnants of the ancient lake-not merely 

low spots in which the surplus water collects until it is dissipated by 

evaporation-but are distinct basins sunk below the level of the 

plain by which they are surrounded, and most of them are bordered 

by definite, nearly vertical walls. Their flat bottoms practically 

coincide with the ground -water level and generally consist of mud 

covered with crusts of salt, although after rains they may be submerged in water. The floor of one basin-Laguna Salina, in sees. 

29 and 3a; T. 5 N., R. 10 E.-is covered with salt sufficiently thick 

and pure to be commercially valuable. 

Altogether there are several score of salt basins with a total area 

estimated at 13,500 acres. In this assemblage Laguna del Perro 

assumes relatively gigantic proportions, having a length of about 12 

miles and an area nearly equal to the combined area of all the other 

basins. 

Intimately associated with the salt basins are the clay hills. Within 

the area in which they exist there are many level tracts which are 

essentially a part of the original plain. The highest clay hills rise 

more than 100 feet above the plain on which they rest, but most of 

them are perhaps less than 50 feet high. 

Typically they form huge embankments which more or less completely encircle the salt basins. This form is so common that the 

traveler on approaching a hill or ridge confidently expects to find a 

salt basin on the other side. 

59797°-w e .r 260-10-2 
10 GROUND WATERS OF ESTANCIA VALLEY, NEW MEXICO. 

SOILS .. 

RED LOAMY SOIL. 

The most widely distributed soil in the valley consists of red clay 

intermingled with varying quantities of grit and graveL It is seen in 

typical character in the alluvial slopes and arroyos, but it also occurs 

throughout much of the littoral zone and is found far up in the foothills. It is essentially the product of the weathering of the rocks in 

the surrounding highlands, whence it has been washed out into its 

present position in the manner already described. In general this 

soil is very fertile, as is demonstrated by the large crops that it produces when climatic conditions are not unfavorable, and its fertility 

is due largely to its content of soluble substances which serve as plant 

food. These soluble substances have been produced by the weathering of the rocks and have not been leached out from the soil by percolating waters to so great an extent as in more humid regions. 

SANDY SOILS. 

Sandy 'soils are found chiefly on the east side of the valley. They 

range from clean, pale-yellow dune sand, which is worthless for agriculture, to red, earthy sand and red sandy loam, which may be very 

productive. Sandy soils, like clay and loam soils, have been deprived 

of less of their soluble constituents in arid than in humid regions. 

ALKALI SOILS. 

It has just been stated that most of the soil in Estancia Valley, as 

in arid and semiarid regions generally, is very fertile because of the 

soluble substance which it contains. But if certain soluble substances, commonly known as alkalies, exist in soils in quantities too 

large, they are injurious to plant life; hence very fertile soils grade 

readily into alkali soils; and, moreover, soils which at first are very 

productive may, after a~period of irrigation and cultivation, becom~ 

harmfully alkaline. On this point Milton Whitney,a chief of the 

Bureau of Soils, United States Department of Agriculture, makes the 

following statement: 

This accll!mulation explains the wonderful fertility of the lands generally in the 

arid regions the world over, but it is also a constant menace because of the large amount 

of soluble salts which is liable to accumulate locally as the result of irrigation or as a 

result of other natural conditions not well understood, until they are a menace and 

often a destructive agency for the very lands which were formerly held in such esteem. 

The different kinds of alkali and their effects upon vegetation can 

best be explained by a further quotation from Whitney, as follows: 

-The alkali soils of the West are of two principal classes. The alkaline carbonates or 

black alkali (usually sodium carbonate) is the w·orst form, actually dissolving the 

organic materials of the soil and corroding and killing the germinating seed or roots of 

!Z Alk~li J~ugs; F~rmers' Bull. No. 88, u.s. Dept. Agr., 1899, p. 7. 
SOILS. 11 

plants; the white alkalies, the most common of which are sodium sulphate (Glauber's 

salt), sodium chloride (common salt); magnesium sulphate, and magnesium chloride, 

are not in themselves poisonous to plants, nor do they attack the substance of the plant 

roots, but are injurious when, owing to their presence in excessive amounts, they prevent the.plants from taking up their needed food and water supply. · 

The amount of soluble salts which plants can stand depends upon the character of 

the salt, the character of the soil, and the kind of plant. Hilgard states that few plants 

can stand as much as 0.1 per cent of sodium carbonate; of sodium chloride plants can 

stand about 0.25 per cent, and of sodium sulphate 0.45 to 0.5 per cent. Plants can 

stand less salts in sandy lands than on heavy clay or gumbo lands.· It is a well known 

fact that crops also differ in their ability to stand salts, and many crops will grow well 

upon soils on which others will tot live. 

Investigations at Billings, Mo t., showed that when the concentration of the salts 

in active solution in the soil mo sture is as great as 1 per cent the limit of most cultivated plants is reached. Further concentration kills all our ordinary agricultural 

crops. It was found, furthermore, that plants could just exist with 0.45 per cent of 

the soluble salts present, and this is taken as the limit of plant production. 

A later statement by C. W. Dorsey,a of the Bureau of Soils, is as 

follows: 

Of the different classes of alkali, sodium carbonate, or black alkali, is considered the 

most injurious. Laboratory experiments have shown that magnesium chloride and 

sulphate are as injurious, if not. more injurious than sodium carbonate. After these 

salts comes sodium chloride (ordinary salt) and sodium sulphate. When present in 

soils to the exclusion of other salts, 0.05 per cent of sodium carbonate presents about 

the upper limit of concentration for common crops. One-half of 1 per cent of sodium 

.chloride is commonly regarded as the endurance limit of crops, and 1 per cent of 

sodium sulphate. Sodium sulphate, then, is the least injurious and sodium carbonate 

the most injurious of the salts usually constituting the greater part of alkali under 

ordinary field conditions, while sodium chloride occupies a middle position. 

Gypsum (calcium sulphate) acts as an antidote for black alkali by 

reacting with it to form (1) calcium carbonate, which is harmless, 

and (2) sodium sulphate, which is a less· injurious white alkali. A 

soil that contains a large amount of gypsum would therefore not 

be expected to contain much black alkali, although it may contain 

some.b 

In Estancia ·valley the shallow-water belt, the ancient lake bed, 

the area of highly mineralized waters, and the area in which the 

most alkaline soils are found all coincide approximately with one 

another, because all are results of the same general causal conditions. 

The rain that falls on the highland borders naturally flows toward the 

lowest area, where it accumulates until it is disposed of by evaporation. Whether it here stands slightly below the general surface of 

the ground, as at present, or a short distance above the surface, as 

during the Pleistocene epoch, when a lake existed, is merely an incident in the general 'circulation. The important facts in this cona Reclamation of alkali soils: Bull. Bureau of Soils No. 34, U. S. Dept. Agr., 1906, p. 10. 

b Cameron, F. K., Application of the theory of solution to the study of soils: Field operations, Div. of 

Soils, 1899, U. S. Dept. Agr., 1900, pp. 152 et seq. Hilgard, E. w,, Soils, Macmillan Co., New York, 1906, 

pp. 449 et seq., 457, 458. 
12 GROUND WATERS OF ESTANCIA VALLEY, NEW MEXICO, 

nection are that in its course it dissolves and carries along the soluble 

constituents 1Vhich it encounters in the rocks and soil, and that on 

its evaporation these soluble constituents are left behind, thus 

becoming concentrated in the lowest portion of the valley. The 

crusts of alkali which cover the salt basins are visible illustrations of 

the process that has impregnated with alkali the soil of the low area. 

Samples of soil were collected at five points within the lake fiat 

along a line extending eastward from Estancia for a distance of 6 

miles, and these samples were analyzed by the United States Bureau 

of Soils with the following results: 

Analyses of soil in Estanda Valley. 

~iiY,~ Soluble 

solids 

·Location. which the (alkalies), Predominating salts in the . material per cent order named. was of total 

obtained. material. 

---

Feet. Estancia, NW. t sec, 12, T. 6 N., R. 8 E., at the inter- 1 0.2 Chloride~ and bicarbonates. 

section of the railway with the section line. 2 .3 Do. 

3 .8 Sulphates and chlorides. 

4 1.0 Do. 

5 1.2 Do. 

6 1.0 Do. 

T. J. Moore, northeast comer of SW. l: sec. 5, T. 6 N., 1 . 1 Do • R.9E. 2 1.4 Chlorides and sulphates. 

3 1.3 Sulphates and bicarbonates. 4 1.5 Do. 

5 2.1 Sulphates and chlorides. 

6 1.6 Do. 

Southwest corner of sec. 4, T. 6 N ., R. 9 E ••.......... 1 . 6 Do . 2 0 7 Chlorides and sut!fchates. 

3 3. 7 Sulphates and c orides. 

4 3. 9 Do. 

5 3. 7 Do. 

6 3.5 Do. 

N. Williams, southwest corner of SE. i sec. 3, T. 6 N., 1 2.5 Do. 

R.9E. · 2 2. 7 Do. 

3 2.9 Do. 

4 2. 7 Do. 

5 2.9 Do. 

6 3.5 Do. 

H. N. Summers, southeast corner of SW. t sec. 1, T. 6 1 1.6 Do. 

N.,R.9E. · · 2· 2.8 Do. 

3 3. 7 Do. 

4 4.5 Do. 

5 3.6 Do. 

6 4.5 Do. 

In respect to these analyses J. A. Bonsteel, in charge of soil surveys, writes: · 

It is apparent to the student of soils and soil conditions in the basin region that 

these soils are very heavily loaded with alkali salts, comparing more directly with 

those of old desiccated lake basins than with any of the agricultural lands now occupied in the United States. You will also notice the continual appearance of chlorides 

in practically all of the samples. From this I judge that the soil samples were ti!.ken 

from a decidedly alkaline tract, probably a desiccated lake bed. Only the most effiCient tile underdrainage would render the majority of these soils capable of producing 

crops. 
SOURCE AND DISPOSAL OF WATER • 1S 

. WATER. 

SOURCE AND DISPOSAL. 

If the mean annual precipitation for the entire Estancia basin is 

assumed to be 15 inches, the total amount of water that falls as rain 

or snow in an average year on the basin is approximately 1,600,000 

acre-feet. If it is further assumed that within recent years the quantity of ground water has not materially increased nor decreased, it 

follows that the same amount is, on the average, withdrawn each year 

from the Estancia basin. This withdrawal is accomplished by evaporation into the atmosphere and by seepage through underground 

passages to lower points outside of the basin. No water leaves the 

basin in surface streams. 

EVAPORATION FROM THE SURFACE. 

Much of the water that falls as rain or snow returns to the atmosphere by being evaporated, either directly from the surface before it 

soaks into the ground or else after it has soaked a short distance into 

the ground, from which it is again withdrawn by vegetation or by 

capillary action in the soil. The proportion of moisture thus disposed 

of is greatest for the lightest showers and least for the heaviest and 

most persistent rains. 

MOUNTAIN SPRINGS AND srREAMS. 

Some. of the moisture that falls on the rhountains seeps into the 

pores and crevices of the rocks, but reappeirs at lower levels, where 

it issues in numerous springs that give rise to brooks or rivulets, most 

of which disappear long before they reach the valley, the water being 

dissipated both by evaporation and by seepage into the ground. 

Springs and streams of this type in the canyons and foothills of the 

Manzano Range have determined the location of the old Mexican 

settlements of Chilili, Tajique, Manzano, Punta de Agua, Torreon, and 

the settlement south of Torreon. 

FLOODS. 

In the entire basin there are no permanent streams except the tiny 

ones just mentioned, but there are many wide stream channels, or 

arroyos, which are normally dry but which during heavy storms carry 

water. The water of most of these floods is lost in the arroyos, but 

that of a few of the largest reaches the central flat and there soaks 

into the earth. Probably these floods furnish most of the ground 

water in the valley fill. 

UNDERFLOW. 

Though the valley includes no important permanent surface stream 

it contains a great body of ground water which, below a certain depth, 
14 GROUND WATERS OF ESTANCIA VALLEY, NEW MEXICO. 

fills every pore, crack, and crevice. From time to time this great 

body of water receives contributions from portions of the rainfall 

that escape evaporation. It is not, however, a stationary mass, for 

it moves constantly though very slowly away from the upland border 

and toward the low central portion of the basin. 

OVERFILLING OF ·UNDERGROUND RESERVOffi. 

If the ground water is constantly augmented by contributions from 

the rainfall, and if this newly acquired water moves constantly toward 

the center of the valley, it would be expected that in the central region 

the pores and crevices of the ground above the bed rock would eventually all become filled and the underground reservoir would overflow. This is essentially what takes place, the surplus being returned 

to the surface or brought so near to the surface that it can be reached 

by evaporation. The surplus is disposed of in three ways-(1) by 

overflow from valley springs; (2) by evaporation from the salt basins; 

and (3) by evaporation directly frbm the ground water wherever it 

rises near enough to. the surface to come within the reach of the atmosphere through capillarity. In each of the three ways the ground 

water is returned to the atmosphere by evaporation. 

Where the ground water lies sufficiently near the surface it is with"'-

drawn in the same manner and by the same process that kerosene is 

withdrawn through the wick of a burning lamp. The soil is the wick. 

The moisture at the top of the soil is constantly being removed by 

evaporation just as the kerosene at the top of the wick'is removed by 

burning, and new moisture is drawn up through the pores of the soil 

just as new kerosene is drawn up through the pores of the wick. 

In both cases the liquid is lifted by capillarity. But the height to 

which a liquid can be thus raised is greater for small pores than for 

large ones. Thus, water can be lifted higher, although less rapidly, 

in ·a clay soil, which has small pores, than in a sandy soil, which has 

large pores. . 

It is not now possible to make an estimate of the height to which 

capillarity is effective in the soils of Estancia Valley or of the quantity of water withdrawn from the underground store by this process, 

but the quantity is undoubtedly large. Near the McGillivray well in 

Estancia, where the ground water is only about 5 feet below the surface, incrustations of salt were observed, although similar incrustations were not seen in places in the same locality where the depth to 

ground water is greater. Incrustations are not found on the red soil 

that lies at a higher level to the west nor, as a rule, on the" ashy" soil 

which lies at a lower level to the east. East of Moriarty, also, there 

are areas in which water lies at shallow depths and which show traces 

of salt at the surface, such as are not generally found in the central 

part of the valley. The explanation seems to be that in areas where 
RECOVERY OF GROUND WATER. 15 

the depth to ground water is slight the water is drawn to the surface, 

where it evaporates and leaves its content of salt. (See discussion 

of quality of the water, pp. 17-23.) 

GROUND-WATER TABLE. 

Over an area of about 240 square miles (including the salt basins) 

the ground water stands within 25 feet of the surface; over an area of 

about 210 square miles it stands between 25 and 50 feet below the 

surface; and over an area of about 250 square miles it stands between 

50 and 100 feet below the surface. Thus over a total area of about 

450 square miles it is less than 50 feet below the surface, and over a 

total area of at least 700 square miles it is less than 100 feet below the 

surface. The area in which it lies less than 50 feet below the surface 

includes the low central plain and extends far up the large arroyos, 

especially Arroyo Mesteno. 

RECOVERY OF GROUND WATER. 

In the foregoing pages it has been shown that the ground water 

constantly receives new supplies on the high land and that 5t 

migrates slowly but constantly toward the valley, where the excess is 

disposed of by evaporation. On its way a small amount is at present 

intercepted and pumped to the surface. The practical question is, 

To what extent can the water be thus recovered for use~ Two 

phases of this question will here be considered-(1) the yield of wells 

and (2) the total amount of water available. I 

YIELD OF WELLS IN THE VALLEY FILL. 

A large amount 1 of miscellaneous information in regard to the yield 

of wells was colle4ed, but unfortunately the bulk Of this information is 

of little value bec!j,use few wells have been sunk deep enough to reach 

the best water horizons, and most of the pumping tests have not 

exceeded a few gallons a minute. Several rather conclusive tests 

were, however, reported, and, through the generous assistance of 

R. B. Cochran, ofl Estancia, a few others were made in the course of 

this investigation.! 

Throughout .most of the valley there is no difficulty in obtaining a 

supply that is ample for domestk and stock uses, but in a few localities even this amount is hard to obtain. Near the north end of the 

valley no wells rere seen, and the prospects of procuring water 

except at considetable depths are not encouraging. In general, the 

yield of wells appears to be better on the west side than on the east 

side of the valley.! · 

At Willard the lAtchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway Company 

has drilled a number of wells. The deepest one entered red sandstone 
16 GROUNl> WA1'EBS OF ES1'ANC1A VALLEY, NEW MEXICO. 

at 312 feet and was continued in this rock to 440 feet, at which depth 

the drilling was stopped. Within the first 312 feet there were 

numerous beds of coarsegravel that supplied.water freely. Fourteen 

8-inch wells were sunk at intervals of about 120 feet to depths of. 

approximately 200 feet. An ai'r lift was applied to twelve of these 

wells simultaneously for ten days and nights, practically without 

stopping, and during this period each well yielded 110 gallons a minute 

and the water level was temporarily lowered 3 feet.a The water is 

used extensively on locomotive engines and for other purposes, train 

loads being shipped to points more than 50. miles east. Altogether, 

the consumption from these wells amounts to about 350,000 gallons 

a day or 400 acre-feet a year. 

On the premises of Mrs. McGillivray, in Estancia, two test wells 

were put down-a 6-inch well to a depth of 37 feet and a 10-inch well 

to a depth of 233 feet ending in hard rock. According to the driller, 

the largest supply of water was found at a depth of 33 feet, where the 

drill entered a 4-foot bed of gravel, from which the water rose to a 

point 5 feet below the surface. With a suction pipe extending 16 · 

feet below the water level, the 6-inch well was successfully pumped 

at a rate approximately 200 gallons a minute. 

In the test wells 4 miles east of Estancia the most water was found, 

according to J. L. Mayo, the driller, in a bed of gravel at a depth of 

about 215 feet, but when the well was pumped at the rate of 15 

gallons a minute the level of the water in the well was considerably 

lowered. The well of Oscar Hadley, 3 miles north and 4 miles east 

of Estancia, which is 94 feet deep, is reported to have been tested at 

about 20 gallons a minute without lowering the water perceptibly. 

The well of B. W. Honnold, in theSE. l- sec. 21, T. 7 N., R. 9 E., 

which is 140 feet deep, is reported to have been tested at 18 gallons; 

the 6-inch well of P.M. Rutherford, in the SW. l- sec. 27 in the same 

township, which is 104 feet deep, at 40 gallons; the well of Mr. Campbell, about 5 miles northeast of Estancia, at 40 gallons; and other 

tests of this kind were reported. On a number of the old ranches 

water has in the past been pumped from wells with steam engines. 

AVAILABLE QUANTITY OF GROUND WATER. 

The rate at which wells will yield water is a factor of vital importance in determining the feasibility of recovering ground water on a 

large scale, but, contrary to the general supposition, it gives little 

information as to the total quantity available. This quantity is not 

inexhaustible, as is so freely assumed, but the amount that can be 

obtained by large p1,1mps, such as are required for extensive irrigation, 

is sharply limited. The quantity of ground water obtainable can 

a The data in regard to the test were given by John Knowles, who has charge of pumping tests and construction for the railway company. 
QUALITY OF THE. WATER. 17 

not be determined by pumping a few hundred gallons a minute from 

a well for a short period for the same reason that the quantity of 

water in a lake can not be determined by applying to it the same 

pump; and to proceed on the theory that any amount of ground 

water is available for irrigation is even less wise than to plan an 

irrigation project without reference to the flow of the stream on 

which it depends. The essential difference is that the flow of the 

stream can be readily and accurately measured, but no such precise 

methods can be applied to ground water, and therefore much more 

caution must be used in carrying out a project that depends upon 

ground water. 

Some idea of the total quantity of water that is stored underground 

can be obtained by considering the sections of wells that have been 

drilled. The average thickness of the water-bearing beds can be 

multiplied by the total area over which they occur, and this product by the percentage of pore space in the material comprising these 

beds, but such an estimate will give little information that is of 

practical value because wit~drawals in excess of the new contributions will lower the water lyveJ, increase the cost of pumping, and 

eventually lead to disaster. Estimates of possible annual recovery 

by man must therefore be based on the annual increment or on the 

surplus annually disposed of by nature, and not on the total quantity 

now stored in the earth. 

Unfortunately the quantity of water that is annually available 

in Estancia Valley can not be accurately determined. From the 

discussion under the heading" Source and disposal" (p. 13), it appears 

that the surplus now disposed of by nature through evaporation 

from the salt basins and other areas of shallow water. is a substantial 

quantity. It is difficult to conjecture what percentage of this surplus 

it would be possible to intercept in wells and to pump to the surface. 

It can hardly be hoped that more than this surplus is annually 

available. 

QUALITY OF THE WATER. 

DISSOLVED SOLIDS. 

The rocks which lie near the surface are exposed to weathering 

agencies that disintegrate and decompose them, thereby forming 

certain mineral compounds that are more or less soluble in water. 

The water which falls as rain contains little or no dissolved mineral 

matter, but when it enters the ground and percolates through the 

earth it gradually takes into solution those soluble substances with 

which it comes into contact, and thus it is that ground water always 

contains dissolved mineral matter. As long as this matter is in solution it is invisible, but when the water is evaporated, as in a teakettle or steam boiler or on the surface of the salt basins in Estancia 

59797°--VV s P 260--10----3 
18 GROUND WATERS OF ESTANCIA VALLEY, NEW MEXICO. 

Valley, it is left behind and forms a crust or scale. Ground waters 

differ greatly in the total amount of substances they contain in solution and also in the proportions of the different kinds of substances. 

When, by evaporation of the water or some other cause, these substances are thrown out of solution, they form mineral salts, such as 

calcium carbonate (limestone), calcium sulphate (gypsum), sodium 

carbonate (black alkali), sodium sulphate (Glauber's salt), and sodium 

chloride (common salt). 

METHODS OF INVESTIGATION. 

During the progress of the :field work 84 samples of water were 

collected and examined for their content of the carbonates, bicarbonates, sulphates, and chlori4es. They were chosen from wells or 

other sources which would aid most in interpreting the quality of'the 

ground water for the entire region. Thus they were obtained from 

all parts of the valley, but were taken in largest numbers in the central 

area,. where the. mineral content varies greatly within short distances 

and where its consideration is important in connection with irrigation. The assays. were made in the :field by means of the apparatus 

and methods described in Water-Supply Paper 151. In order to 

have some check on the work, and also to have a basis for judging 

the relative amounts of calcium, magnesium, sodium, and potassium, 

a single sample was sent to Prof. J. R. Bailey, of the University of 

Texas, for complete analysis in the laboratory. This sample was 

taken from the well of H. N. Summers, 6 miles east of Estancia, in 

the region where it was especially desirable to know the relative 

amounts of mineral substances in the deeper waters. The following· 

table gives the compiete analysis, and for purposes of compa:vison 

the :fieJd assay of a sample taken from the same well on the same day: 

Analysis and field assay of water from well of H. N. Summers, 6 miles east of Estancia. 

Parts per million. 

Ions. Sample Sample an- assayed alyzed in 

·in the the la borafield. tory. 

Silica (SiO,) ..................... ,_ ........................................................ . Iron (Fe) .................................................................................. . Aluminum (Al) .......................................................................... .. Calcium (Ca) ................................................................. _, ............ . 

r~~~:w<~t-:::: :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: :::::::::: 

Carbonate radicle (COa)........................................................... o. o Bicarbonate radicle (HC03) ....................... ,...... .... • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • .. 243 

Sulphate radicle (SO,)............................................................ 553 Chlorine (Cl) . . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . .. .. .. .. .. . .. .. . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . .. .. .. . . · 393 

Total solids ................................................................................ . 

~~:~~~~Jnhdl~~~d~s(~o~)?.~~-.:: ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: :::::::::: 1 

19 .05 Trace. 

200 

114 

274 

3.8 

.0 306 

755 

390 

1,956 251 

8.8 
QUALI'.JlY OF THE WAT 19 

The field determination agrees closely wit the laboratory analysis 

in the content of chlorine, but there are co siderable discrepancies 

in the bicarbonate and sulphate determina ions. The bicarbonate 

determination is a simple volumetric proc Sf;l with a definite end 

point, and the assays probably gave results that are fairly accurate 

l'elative to each other. Despite these discre ancies, the field assays 

are 'of value, especially in throwing light on the problem of the 

utility of the water for irrigation,· a problem in which it is desirable 

to have tests from as many 1localities as possible, but in which great 

precision is not required. 

The table on pages 22-23 presents the results of the 84 field assays. 

CHLORINE. 

In general the chlorine content of these· waters is proportionate 

to the amount of common salt that would be deposited by their 

evaporation. The ground waters of Estancia Valley ·differ widely 

in this respect, the samples analyzed ranging from 7 parts to 16,442 

parts per million in the amount of chlorine that they contain. 

The analyses show the following co~ditions: (1) That the water 

underlying the Western slope (including nearly all of the western alluvial slope and most of the littoral zone) contains small quantities of 

common salt, the chlorine content being uniformly less than 25 parts 

per million; (2) that in this large area the amount of salt does not 

increase notably from' the foothills toward .the center; (3) that 

throughout a small area in the center of the valley the chlorine content is very great, some of the shallow water being so salty that it 

can not be used for w~tering stock; (4) that between the first and 

the second area there is a zone of fairly pure water which aver..: 

ages about 3 miles in width but which has a tendency to extend some 

distance up the arroyos; and (5) that on the east side of the valley 

the water is somewhat higher in its content of salt than on the corresponding west slope. The transition from the fairly pure water 

of the intermediate zone to the strongly saline water in the central 

area is remarkably abrupt; so that on the west side, where there are 

many wells, it is possible to outline with some definiteness the limits 

of the area in which the water has more than 1,000 parts of chlorine. 

The abruptness of this transition is shown by assay No. 59 (J. B. 

Striplin) and assay No. 61 (J. W. Kooken), given in the table (p. 

23). The .first sample, coming from a well that is in the intermediate area, showed only 219 parts of chlorine; the second, taken 

from a well a quarter of a mile farther east, showed 5,276 parts. 

In the central area. the shallowest water is the most strongly saline, 

and the water from deeper sources is, as a rule, much better. However, no definite law of variation with depth could be established, and 

it is altogether probable that in some of the deeper wells a certain 
20 GROUND WATERS OF ESTANCIA VALLEY, NEW MEXICO. 

amount of shallow water is admitted by imperfect casing and mingles 

with the deep water that forms the principal supply. Within the 

area in which the shallow water contains more than 1,000 parts, 9 

samples were taken from cased wells in which, so far as could be 

ascertained, the water came from more than 25 feet below the groundwater level. In these 9 samples the chlorine content ranged from 

234 parts to 932 parts and averaged 595 parts, whereas 6 samples 

of shallow water within the same area ranged from 1,165 parts to 

16,442 parts and averaged 7,063 parts, or more than 12 times as much 

as in the deeper waters. 

Finally, it is important to note that the deep waters in the central 

area are much saltier than the waters from wells on the surrounding 

slopes. Thus, 34 samples were taken on the west side in the area of 

less than 25 parts per million, which includes nearly all of the extensive region lying west of the Santa Fe Central Railway. In these 

34 widely distributed samples the chlorine content ranged from 7 to 

25 parts and averaged 16 parts, a result which should be compared 

with that of the assays of the 9 samples of deep waters in the central 

'area in which the chlorine ranged from 234 to 932 parts and averaged 

595 parts, or 37 times as much. 

CAUSE OF SALINITY. 

The salinity of the water in the central area results from the process described under "Source and disposal." The ground water is 

constantly being replenished at the borders by rainfall; responding 

to the force of grp.vity, it constantly moves valleyward; and in the 

low central area the accumulating surplus. is constantly coming 

to the surface and being disposed of by evaporation. In its migration 

through the earth it picks up a load of salt which it takes into solution, and when it evaporates it leaves this salt behind, thus adding 

to the salinity of the remaining water or to the amount of alkali 

in the-soil. 

But the precise reason for the existing conditions is not so evident. 

In most of the area in which the sheet of saline water occurs the 

ground-water level is too far below the surface for capillarity to be 

effective in drawing up ground water within the reach of evaporation. 

Thus, in the wells from which were taken the 6 samples that were 

tested, the depth to water ranges from 7 to 36 feet, and capillarity 

is probably not effective for depths of more than 5 feet and quite 

certainly not for depths of more than 10 feet. Moreover, the salts 

drawn up by capillary action would be deposited near the surface 

where evaporation would occur, and it is not obvious how they 

would be carried back so as to contribute to the salinity of the ground 

water. It is also necessary to account for the salt content in the 

deeper waters at the center. The most reasonable hypothesis is 
QUALITY OF THE WATER. 21 

that at various horizons in the valley fill of the central area there are 

beds which are impregnated with salt that was deposited by evaporating waters at the time they were formed, and that afterward these 

beds became buried under new accumulations of valley fill. It is 

not unlikely th~j._t the shallow sheet of brine coincides approximately 

with a buried salt deposit laid down at the bottom of the ancient 

lake at a certain stage of its existence. This hypothesis will also 

explain the sharp boundary of the area. 

EFFECT OF DISSOLVED SOLIDS. 

Small amounts of the constituents commonly found in natural 

waters are not harmful to health. Chlorides are not objectionable 

in drinking water if only 50 to 100 parts per million are present, but 

amounts clearly perceptible to the taste render water unpalatable. 

Magnesic or sodic sulphated waters are laxative, and excessive 

magnesium or sodium content renders water unfit for man and beast. 

The worst form of alkali water-that containing alkaline carbonateswas not. found in this region. 

Calcium and magnesium render water hard and therefore poor 

for toilet and laundry uses. Bicarbonate and an equivalent quantity 

of calcium and magnesium are removed from water by boiling, but 

the calcium and magnesium in excess of this amount, such as would 

be present in gypsiferous waters, can not be precipitated by boiling. 

Sodium and potassium do not consume soap and therefore do not 

make water hard. . · 

Water containing relatively large amountS of most kinds of dissolved mineral matter is tolerated by plants. Among the common 

sodium saltS, the most injurious is sodium carbonate and the least 

injurious is sodium sulphate; sodium chloride occupies an intermediate position. The effect of dissolved solids in irrigation water is 

more fully discussed under the next heading-" Irrigation." 
Chemical analyses of water in Estancia Valley. 

[Field·aaaays. · Parts per million unless otherw~ stated.] 

Location.· 

Carboriate Blcarbon~ Suli>lia.te 

No. Owner. Description of well. Depth of Depth to mdJcle ete radicle . radicle · well. water. (001). (HCOa). (804)-" 

. Fut. Feet. 

1 Cedli.i- Vale well................... SW. i sec. 27, T. 2 N., R.1:J E....... Drilled; partly cased........ 298 174 0 

2 Mountainair village well •••• ~ ••.•. Mountainair •........•..•••....•.••.. Drilled ••.....•.•........• ;.. 303 o 3 Ellj~Bmdley •...••..•.••••.••... NE.tsec.ll,T.3N.,R •. 9E"····· ....• do ••••••. : .. , .• : .• ,:.... 100 80 o 4 Progreso well ................. · ..•. SW.tsec.15,T.3N . ._R •. lOE ••.•.. Dug ••••••.....• ; .•.......•. :········· 35 0 . 5 J. s. Penny ........................ NE. t sec.1, '1'. ~ N., H. 6 E 0. 0 •••• •• •••• do .•• 0 000 •••••••••••• ··'· • 50 45 oo• . 6 S R BeYJ!lour ~W.hec.8,T.4.:l!:.oR.7E ••..•... Drilled •...••.......•... ;.... 110 . 55 

·7 • ' . ••·•·••••·••··•••••· NE.lsec;ll,T .. 4l'I.,R.7E •..........• do...................... 150 110 0 

.8 ;J".B. VIncent ................. :... E, sec.23,T.4N.,R.8E .... , .. : ............................ ;.. 9S 93 0 

190 }E; P .. Parker ...................... ~EE. sec. 24,T·T. 4NN.,RR. SEE ....... Dugd.• ... 00 .......... :....... .......... 63 0 , · . . . s .1 sec. 24, • 4 ., • 8 .. 00 ........ o ••• 0000............... . .. .. . .. .. .66 0 11 W. R. Walden.................... E.l sec. 26, T. 4:l!.,.R. 8 E ....... ..... d,o.,.oo! .... , .. :: .•..••. · . 120 105 0 

·12 Ranch;;~,, .. , ................... : NE.!sec.32,&T.4·l.'I~.:R.SE ........ : ........ ;: ... ;~~ ...... · ................ ... :...... 0 

13 .EugeneFotbes .................... SE.isec;6,T.4N., .• 9E •• oo .... Dug.;....................... 40 40 0 

l4 .AWblson, Topeka & SantaFeRy. {NW.isec.S, T.4N., . ."9E ................. ;···········>···.········· .......... .......... 0 15 WellsatWillard. NW.tsec.ll,T.4N.,R.9E .... ,. Dug ......................... ;......... 8 0 

16 A, P.Hanna ....... ,: ................ ~rw,tsec.311.?·4N.R. R.9l!.l ............ do ... : .... ,, ...... :....... 98 . 85. 0 U }~h ............. L .......... ; ... I1~:Ja:rT. 4 N.::f.·J.o E:~~~::::::: :::::~~·::::;::::::::::::::~:: :::::::::: ....... ~. g 19. 1:B.Teague ...................... SE.t.sec.17,T.5N.,R.7E .... , .............................. , .. ·· 115 93· 0 

20 Ranch ............................ SW.,sec.33,_T.5N.,R.7E ....... Dug ............ :...................... 15 0 

21 L. Knight ......................... NE. sec. 1, '1'. 5 N., R. 8 E ........ 1:.al'ge dug hole.c............ 27 20 0 

22 } {SW. sec. 6, T. 5 :!!;~ R. 8 E........ Dug......................... .... .. .. .. 82 0 

23 Thomllll Elgtn..... ..... .... .. .. .. • NE. sec. 35, T. 5<'!., R. 8 E ............ do ... :................... .. .. .. • .. . 31 0 

24 NE. sec. 18, T. 5 N., R. 9 E ....... 6-lnch, wlth·ciiSJl!g .......... 36 24 ,0 

25 E. L. Moulton................... SE.t sec. 13, T. 5 N., R: 10 E ... .. • Drilled and clllled........... 120 95 0 

26 Fletoher Brown................... SW. i sec. 4, T. 5 N., R. 11 E....... Drilled with caslug .. ,. •• . • • • . 84 65 0 

~ =iD.'i&iililiS::::::::::::::::: =: ~:: ~: ~ ~:: ~: ~ ~:::::::::::: ::::::~::::::::::::::::·::::::: :::::::::: :::::::::: .......... ti. 

29 Porter ranch ...................... SW. i sec. 34,'1\ 6 N., R. 7 E,...... .............................. 125 100 0 

30 L. C. Weavt~r ..................... NW.l sec. J, T. 6 N., R.S E ....... Notclllled ......... ~......... 40 26 0 

31 li..B.Ccchran: ........ :: ....... · .. SW.il;sec•ll,T.'6N.,R.8E ....... llug ...... -.. ;.o;.; ... :.................... 13: 0 ~ 'Estancia Sprl!!g ................... SE.t sec.ll, T.·6 N., R. 8 E ................ : ................................ : ....... : _0 

33 Box factory, Estancia .......... c.. INW~~l2;;{,l' ..._6_\N.,-,;R.:B;JL,... Clllled to 59 feet ................. , • ~.. •.. 20 0 

34 W.J . .Adalr ....................... ~'H!ll00r\t2,;T,fl::N;-~R;;S.;E:; .. :. 1>~•:•-~·'·:··'····· .. ··:···· ... :....... 18_ :..- 0 

35 :Y,:alley Hotel, Estancia............ SW. t sec. 12, T. 6 N., R. S"E',..... . .. • .. .. •• •. .. . .. .. . . . . .. .. .. • ...... •. •. •. .... . . .• 0 

_36 :. N •. E •. Bll~ng •. ::··:: ..... , ..... ; .. BE. ,sec.13, T.-6N., R.S;E ............... ; ..... ·.·:·::·_ ....... :.. 12. , 9 o 'in B:'C Wmtam's , · . {NE. sec.26,T.6N.,R.8E ....... Dug .......................... ,....... 6 0 at!.}·-<: :. .. ................. \NE. sec.26,T.6N.,R.8E ....... Drllljl(j.andcased........... 318 .. 4 0 

"39 .H':N's .. . ., . R E ltich . ' { 0 c40 .. ummers., ................. SW.lsee.l, T. 6N., • 9 ., ...... 3o Clllllngto.45.feet....... 65 ·10. 0 

J.rl 

. 424 >625, 

212 157 

170 >~ 158 574 

.206 <30 

170 <30 

218' <30 

194 160 

146 W!l 

i58 181 

158 

121 >~ lW Hll 

218 238 

'291 >625 

109 >625 

412 >625 133. ll83. 

230 <30: 

327 . 35 

243 

182 <:i! 

267 42 

545 478 

121 >~ 

340 4!1& 

158, <30 388 

. 218 ~~· 679 

267 -~~ ao: 

291 <30 

873 >625, 

631 514' 

320. 383 

243 

243 ·~:t: 533 66 243. 431 

243. 5!3, 

Chlorine 

(01), 

55 

9 

25 

33 

13 

'17 

13 

24 

20 

18 

18 ·1 r·c25 

·31 

46 

417 

. 17 1,~6.5 

40 

'9 

. 17 

15 

~~1~ 65 

'141 

261 

10 

7 

7 140 

5 

17 

21>1 

.693 

54 

84' 

20 

139 

438 

393 
41 N. Williams •••................... BE. i sec. 3, T. 6 N., R. 9 E ••••.•.. Cased........................ 26 9 

42 T. J. Moore .•.••.....•....•..•.•.. SW. i sec. 5, T. 6 ~" R. 9 E .•...... Dug........................ ....... .. . 13 

43 Mrs. N. L. WUJlams .•...•........ NE. i sec. 10, T. 6 .N., R. 9 E •...... Cased ..................... :. 32 7 

44 Unsuccessful test well............. SW. i sec. 10, T. 6 N., R. 9 E....... Cased to 205 feet............ 215 7 

45 A. Abbott ........................ BE. l sec. 11, T. 6 N., R. 9 E ........ Cased to 100 feet............ 159 5 

46 Charles May ...................... NE. i sec. 12, T. 6 N., R. 9 E ....... Dug........................ 20 20 

47 }A Abbott . J~.t--15,T.6N."~R~9E· ....... Casedto120feet............ 156 6 48 ' ........................ '\SW•.t'see.15;T.6N.,R.9E ............ do...................... 156 5 

49 J. J. Smith ........................ NW. i sec. 19, T. 6 N., R. 9 E ...... Drilled, 6-lnch casing........ 60 8 

50 W.H.Hancock ................... NE.j;sec.20,T.6N.,R.9E ....... Drilledandcased........... 90 ........ .. 61 C. B. Cornell...................... SW. l sec. 28.z. T. 6 N., R. 9 E....... Not cased................... 18 14 

62 A. L. BUsing ............ , ......... N. !sec. 33, '1'. 6 N., R. 9 E ......... Drilled and cased ........... '100 14 li3 'WD.Jiam Dunbar . {Sec. 4,b T. 6 ~" R.10 E.......................................... 50 47 

04 • · · .................. Sec.26,bT.6.N.,R.10E ........... Dug.................................. 36 

lili E. F. Heal .............. , ......... SE.i;sec. 31, T. 6 N., R.ll E ............ do .................. ,.... 60 50 

56 J .. B. Gwaltney................... BE. i sec. 36, T. 7 N., R. 7 E........ Drilled..................... 139 135 

fi -~~~Jn~~~::::::~::::::::::: ~;: t:i: ~· ~: ~~:: ~: ~ ~::::::: ·nug·:::::::::::::::::::::::: :::::::::: ....... 35. 

59 J.B.Striplin ..................... BE.tsec.20,T.7N.,R.9E ......... Dug.................................. 10 

60 B. W.Honnold ................... SE.tsec.21,T.7N.,R.9E ......... Drilled and cased.......... 140 12 

61 J. W.Kooken ..................... NW.J:sec.28!..T.7N.RR.9E ........ Notcased ............................ : 10 

62 T.J.Curtls ....................... SE.tsec.30,T.7N., .9E ......... Dug.................................. 10 

63 DuncanMcG!llivray .......... : ... NE.J:sec.8,T.7~,R.10E ......... Drilled...................... 93 56 

64 E.F.Moore ...................... SW.tsec.15,T.7.N.,R.10E........ .............................. .......... 66 

65 AllanMcGilllvray ................ Sec.31,T.7N.,R.11E .... , ........ Drilled ........ ,............. 120 45 

66 }s C Keehnel ·{SE.tsec.36,T.8N.,R.7E......... .............................. 140 85 

67 · · ...................... NW.~sec.1,T.7N.,R.8E ......... 6-lnch,notcased............ .......... 30 

68 John T. Lee ...................... NW.~sec.2_8.JT.8~,R.9E ........ Notcased................... . 25 22 

69 J. 0. Justus ....................... SW. i sec. 331 T. 8 .N . ._R. 9 E ............ do...................... 25 20 

70 Ranch ............................. SE.tsec.l!t~T.9N.,tt.8E........ .............................. .......... 34 

71 Michael T. Moriarty ............... NE. i sec. :&.!1 T. 9 N., R. 8 E ....... Dug......................... 32 21 

72 W.C.Maurer ..................... NW.}sec.1,T.9N.RR.9E ....... Drilled...................... 70 63 . 73 Robert Hickman .................. SE.t sec. 4~_T. 9 N:t . 9 E ......... Not cased................... 30 26 

74 Edith B. Rush .................... SW. i sec. '!!1..1 T. 9 .N., R. 9 E ....... Dug......................... .......... 16 

75 B.Hill ............................ NW.l;sec,:Q!,T.9~,R.10E ..... Drilled ....... :.............. 189 ........ .. 76 A. Stewart ........................ NW. i sec. 21, T. 10 .N., R. 8 E .......... do................................ 127 

77 R.H.Harper ..................... NE.tsec.34,T.10N.,R.8E ........... do....................... 100 '74 

78 S.F.Kelly ........................ NW.·tsec.3,T.10N.,R.9E ........... do................................ 99 

79 JohnH.Cantwell ................. NW.j;sec.5,T.10N.,R.9E ........... do...................... 103 75 

80 E. H. Clayworth .................. SW. i sec. 27, T. 10 N.RR. 9·E ...... Dug................................... 27 

81 G. W. Hearte ................... · .. NE. sec. 5, T. 10 N., . 10 E...... .. ... .. .. ........... ...... .... 180 165 

82 Deserted ranch .................... SW. sec. 1, T. 11 N., R. 8 E ....... Dug......................... 250 200 

: ~~~=~:~~-~~~~·.:::::::::::::: -~~~~~:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: -nrnie<i:::::::::::::::::::::: ~ ~~ 

0 364 >625 914 

0 340 383 80 

0 303 >625 15,075 

0 533 553 784 

0 243 328 309 

0 259 >625 16,442 

0 424 lili3 603 

0 582 lili3 932 

0 315 91 40 

0 .679 5~ 603 

0 728 269 

0 752 >625 587 

0 194 553 283 

0 218 >625 2,412 

0 194 492 361 

0 170 <30 13 

0 364 <30 20 § 0 340 42 lili 

0 267 265. 219 

0 243 383 234 

.o 

o. 352 

680 >625 

287 

5,276 

85 ~ 0 133 100 40 ~ 0 170 256 65 

0 97 >625 60 0 

0 "279 30 25 i:l;i 

0 315 43 25 8 0 218 460 319 

0 291 P:l >625 2,010 

0 194 <30 10 1.;2 

0 218 82 301 

0 158 460 274 ~ 0 170 460 291 

0 206 574 222 ~ 0 194 197 20 t;l 

0 206 <30 10 ~ 0 194 34 15 

0 194 til 13 

0 170 95 13 

0 146 383 119 

0 243 56 14 

0 182 78 8 

0 230 52 13 

0 243 94 18 

">-more than; <=less than. b Approximate location. c Samples 39 and 40 were taken from the same well, but at difierent times and after difierent rates of pumping. 
24 GROUND WATERS OF ESTA:Js"CtA VALLEY, NEW MEXICO. 

IRRIGATION. 

Much of the water that falls as rain is lost or is of very small service 

in agriculture. If only a small part of this water that is now lost 

can be recovered and applied to growing crops it will greatly increase 

the agricultural product of the valley. Recovery is possible in two 

ways-(1) by storing storm water, (2) by pumping ground water. 

The storage of storm water is not here considered. 

UTILIZATION OF GROUND WATER. 

PRESENT DEVELOPMENT. 

At the time the valley was visited (the summer of 1909) little had 

been accomplished in the way of irrigating with ground water, 

although a number of gardens and other small plats were being irrigated from this source by means of windmills, and somewhat more 

ambitious projects were being undertaken by S. Spore, L. Knight; 

E. A. Von de Veld, and H. C. Williams. 

POSSIBILITIES OF FUTURE DEVELOPMENT. 

The data already given seem to indicate that, without seriously 

depleting the present supply, enough water can annually be withdrawn from the underground reservoir to increase materially the 

total production of the valley, but that, on the other hand, however 

economically such water may be applied, it is not sufficient in amount 

to irrigate more than a small part of the total acreage of arable land. 

If it is once proved that pumping for irrigation is feasible and profitable,. the danger of overdevelopment will become imminent. 

PROPER TYPE OF IRRIGATION SYSTEMS. 

Irrigation with surface water has necessitated large cooperative 

projects, but the problem of irrigating with ground water, even on a 

large scale, is essentially different. In Estancia Valley each farmer 

should develop his own supply, install his own pumping plant, and 

construct his own reservoirs and system of distribution. This 

method of development will insure a maximum supply with a minimum lowering of the head, and will involve the least lift and the least 

loss in distribution. The only respect in which cooperation may be 

found profitable will be in installing a central power plant. 

PROPER TYPES OF WELLS. 

Where large supplies are required, as for irrigation, they can best 

be obtained by drilling in search of thick beds of clean, coarse gravel 

that will yield freely, if necessary, sinking at least to the bottom of the 
IRRIGATION. 25 

valley fill. There are three reasons why deep drilled wells are likely 

to yield much more water than shallow wells that stop a short distance below the ground-water level: (1) The thickest and best beds of 

gravel may occur at great depth; (2) of two similar beds the one at a 

considerable depth below the ground-water level is likely to yield 

much more than the one only slightly below this level, because the 

water in the deeper bed is under much greater artesian pressure; 

(3) if a deep well is properly finished with perforated casing, it can 

simultaneously receive supplies from all water-bearing beds that it 

penetrates. 

If a single well will not yield enough, a group of wells can be 

drilled. A large pump can then be inserted at the bottom of a centrally located pit dug to the ground-water level, or somewhat lower, 

and suction pipes from all the wells can be connected with it; or, if 

it is desired to use a chain and bucket elevator, the central pit can 

be sunk to a considerable depth below the ground-water level and 

the drilled wells can be connected by horizontal tunnels or pipes 

with the bottom of the pit, into which they wili then discharge. 

Since the cost of pumping increases with the lift, it will be economy 

to have so many wells that the water in them will not be greatly 

lowered by pumping. In either system above described some expense will be involved in connecting the various wells. 

For large supplies, beds of very fine sand should be eased out, 

because this sand yields its water slowly and causes trouble by rising 

in the wells. Screens can be employed to shut out the sand, but they 

are liable to become clogged in a short time ·and to require much 

attention. Difficulty with sand in wells can be brought to a minimum 

by pumping slowly or by having a large number of wells so connected 

that water is drawn only slowly from each. 

Where no satisfactory water-bearing bed can be found and where 

the shallow water is not saline it may be possible to obtain valuable 

supplies from large dug wells or from systems of infiltration galleries, 

or it may be feasible to bring up the total yield by combining these 

with deep wells. If possible the maximum yield of the system of 

wells should be kept much greater than the capacity of the pumps, as 

this will reduce to a minimum the cost of lifting the water, the wear 

and tear of the machinery, and in some places the deterioration of the 

wells. 

GRAVITY INFILTRATION DITCHES. 

The fact that it is possible to lead water by gravity from the shallowwater belt on the west side out upon lower ground to the east makes 

this scheme for irrigation appear very attractive, but it is not believed 

that enough water can be recovered in this way to justify the necessary expense of construction. The same money will be 'better 
26 GROUND WATERS OF ESTANCIA VALLEY, NEW MEXICO. 

invested in wells and a pumping plant with which a larger, more 

reliable, and more elastic supply can be obtained. Professor Slichter 

discusses ditches of this type and makes the following concluding 

statements: a 

It should be noted that very few infiltration or underflow canals are in actual use 

for irrigation. Ma:iJ.y pumping plants in use for irrigation have turned out to be both 

practicable and financially profitable, but the attempts to procure ground water by 

gravity have usually proved disappointing, and there are numerous abandoned 

underflow canals in many parts of the West. 

COST OF PUMPING. 

In estimating the cost of the water it is necessary to take into 

account the original cost of the wells, pumps, engines, reservpirs, 

ditches, and other equipment, and the cost of operation, which includes fuel, oil, repairs, labor, and other items. In considering the 

original cost as a factor in the cost of a unit quantity of water it is 

most convenient to estimate the amount of deterioration of the plant 

in one year and to add this to the annual interest on the total amount 

invested in the plant. The sum should then be divided by the number of units of water pumped in a year. Professor Slichter advises 

that the charge for depreciation and repairs should be estimated at 

not less than 10 per cent of the first cost of the plant. 

The following tables give the results of a·number of tests of small 

pumping plants in the Arkansas Valley, Kansas, b and in the Rio 

Grande valley, New Mexico:• 

Tests of small pumping plants, Arkansas Valiey, Kansas. 

Cost of 

Horse- Price of Yield of Cost of fuel for 

Kind of pump. power of Fuel used. fuel per Total well per i~re;m~a each foot 

lift. that an epglne. gallon. minute. of water. acre-foot 

is lifted. 

Feet. Gallons. 

No. 3 centrifugaL ............ 6 Gasoline .. $0.22 22.1 272 $2."93 $0.13 

Menge ........................ 10 . .. do ...... .20 15.5 394 ,!l.90 .19 

Two vertical, 6 by 16 inch 111 ..• do ...... .22 15.06 91 ·~·'75 .25 

cylinder. 

Chain and bucket ............. 7 . .. do ...... .21 17.0 540 I:'37 .08 

Do ....................... 2/, . .. do .. : .... .22 15.8 215 !,78 .18 

No. 4 centrifugaL ............ 102 ... do ...... .12t 22.13 363 .10 .09 

No. 3 centrifugaL ............ 6 . .. do ...... .12~ 17.60 198 1.67 .09 

No. 14 centrifuyaL ........... 80 CoaL •.... •4.00 23.00 2,300 .85 .04 

Two horizonta , 5 by 5 Inch 3! Gasoline .. .1211 21.7 96 1. 09 .05 

cylinders. 

No. 4 centrifugaL ............ 5 . .. do ...... .12! 21.47 420 1.20 .06 

a Water-Supply Paper U. S. Geol. Survey No. 184. .,- b Stichter, c. S., The underflow In Arkansas Valley In western Kansas: Water-Supply Paper U.s. Geol. 

Survey No. 153, 1906, pp. 55 and 56. 

•Slichter, C. S., Observations on the ground waters of the Rio Grande valley: Water-Supply Paper U. ·s. Geol.. Survey No. 141, 1905, pp. 34 and 35. · rl An acre-foot contains 325,850 gallons of water, which is enough to cover 1 acre to the depth·of 1 foot. e Price per ton. 
COST OF PUMPING. 27 

Principal data de:riv~dfro1fL usts of Ri~ Grande pumping plants. 

~ 

Inter- Labor Fuel Total 

Price Yield est and and cost cost Horse- Fuel used.~ ot Total 

m£~te. COst of de pre- otber per per power. fuel.a lift. plant. elation cost, acre- acre- per per foot. foot. hour.b hour. 

---·--· ----------

Electricity .................. Feet. Gallom. 

10 $0.05 38.93 378 $1,200 $0.108 $0.050 $3.43 $5.75 

8 Gl!llolilie ..................... .14 30.70 269 800 .072 .120 2.26 6.13 

5! : .... do ....................... .14 27.80 258 800 .072 .140 1,58 6.02 28 Crude oil .................... .03 36.70 938 3,000 .27,0 .180 .70· 3.17 22 Gasoline ..................... .14 41.45 1,325 2,200 .198 .150 1.43 2.79 

15 ..... do ....................... .14 35.87 658 1,500 .135 .150. 1. 'i'3 . 4.10 

5 ..... do .............. , ...... :. .17 45.58 131 1,200 .108 .120 3.73 13.20 

12 ..... do ...................... .. 17 40.30 658 1,200 .108 .150 1.34 3.47 

21 ..... do ....................... .17 40.45 725 1,800 .162 .150 2;52 4.87 8 ..... do ........... :.' .......... .17 26.85 648 900 .081 .120 1.48 3.16 

12 .... ,do ....................... .17 34.77 325 1,200 .108 .150 5.14 9.57 8 ..... do ....................... .17 36.05 271 800 .072' .120 5.10 8.95 

10 Wood ............. _______ ._. __ 2.00 34.16 351 1,200 .108 .180 3.47 7.91 

28 Gasoline ..................... .17 43.35 464 2,000 .180 .150 4.34 8.19 

20 ~S:fu.e:::: ::::::::::::::::: 2.25 29.55 1,000 1,600 .144 .200 2.83 4.70 

12 .17 23.89 837 992 .090 .090 1.04 2.21 

12 ..... do ....................... .17 35.26 191 992 .090 .090 5.80 10.90 

12 ..... do ...................... .17 32.36 750 992 .090 .090 1.16 2.46 

a The price of gasoline given is for 1 gallon, the !'rice, of electricity for 1 kilowatt-hour, the price of wood 

for\ cord. b The depreciation and repairs are calculated at 10 per ce!lt oftbe original cost and the interest at 8 per Ce)lt. 

As near as it can be estimated from rathedndefinite data obtained 

in regard to the ·plant of E. A. Von de Veld, northwest of Willard, the 

cost of fuel is about $3.50 an acre-foot. · The water is here lifted 

with a 160-gallon chain and bucket elevator; the average lift· is about 

30 feet, and the price paid for the gasoline was reported to be 31 

. cents per gallon. According to these data, for each foot that an 

acre-foot of water is lifted the cost is about lli cents and the consumption of gasoline about 0.38 gallon: With the present capacity 

of the well, one-fift4 of an acre-foot· can be drawn conveniently in 

one full dtty; and on this basis if the plant is operated one hundred 

days it will consume $65 worth of gasoline and provide enough water 

to cover 20 acres to a depth of 1 foot or 10 acres to a depth of 2 feet. 

With gasoline bought at minimum \vholesale .prices and ·with more 

careful adjw;tments between the capacities of -engine,~pump, and well, 

the cost f4r fuel can be reduced materially, but the, above :figures 

are believ!;¥1. to be valuable in giving an idea of what has been done 

in practicaJ work. · 

In a discussion of the cost of pumping in Arkansas Valley, Kansas, 

the following statement is made by Professor Slichter in regard to 

gas-producer plants: · ~ . · 

If plants of from 20 to §0 horsepower are constructe , as I believe they will inevitably 

be. in the near future, the cheapest power will prob bly be found in the use of coal in· 

small gas-producer plants in connection with gas efJgines. These small~ gas-producer 

plants are largely automatic in action and can be o~nited by anyone. With hard coal 

or coke or charcoal at $8 per ton, the cost of power ould be less than o. n~-half cent per 

horsepower for one hour; or only one-fifth of the cos of power from gwlOhne at 22 cents 

·a gallon. The writer anticipates no difficulty, thejfore, in keeping the cos~ ~f water 
28 GROUND WATERS OF ESTANCIA VALLEY, NEW MEXICO. 

below 60 to 75 cents an acre-foot for fuel, or below $1.25 to $1.50 per acre-foot for total 

expense. a Hundreds of such plants have been put iri use in England during the past . 

ten or more years, and they are in charge of unskilled labor. These gas-producer 

plants are used in England for a great variety of purposes, such as power for agricultural machinery and for small electric-light plants for country estates. They are 

used in as small units as 5 horsepower. 

In this country .the producer-gas plants ha:ve been in use for several years, and at 

the present moment they are fast taking the place of steam power in new plants. 

The cost of a producer plant and gas engine is about the same as the cost 0f a steam 

engine and boiler of same size when everything is included, but the cost of power from 

the producer-gas plant is very much less than that obtained from small steam engines. 

In producer plants ranging upward from 100 horsepower a style of plant may be. 

installed in which soft coal or lignite may be successfully used. This still further 

cuts down the cost of power. In fact, large plants of this type furnish the cheapest 

artificial power that has yet been devised. The saving is not only in fuel, but also 

in labor, as one man is capable of running a 300-horsepower plant. 

In Estancia Valley gas-producer plants should be installed only 

after sufficiently large supplies of water have been developed to 

insure the success of such. plants. A central power plant which will 

furnish an electric current for operating .pumps on a number of farms 

may prove the most economical method_ of lifting water. 

WINDMILLS. 

Much has been written on irrigation with windmills. Their obvious 

advantage is that they utilize energy which is supplied by nature 

free of charge, but their original cost and the cost for oil and repairs 

are by no means negligible. Their greatest disadvantage lies ·in 

their dependence upon the wind, which. may not blow at the time 

the water is most needed. They are best adapted to those parts of 

the v-alley where great depth to water or small yield permit irrigation 

on only a small scale. 

The following data, taken from the Year book of the Department 

of Agriculture for 1907, will give some conception of what can be 

done with windmills. If the lift is increased or decreased, the 

amount of water that can be pumped_ will be decreased or increased 

in about the same ratio. 

Work done by a 12-joot windmill. 

Velocity of wind In miles per hour .. 

Height Quantity water of water was pumped lifted. perhour. 

Feet. 

6...................................................................................... 56 

8...................................................................................... 56 10 •.•••.•••.••••.•.•••••••.••••••••••••••.•. ·•••••••··•••••·•••••••··•·····•·•····•··••· 56 12 •••.••..•.•.•..•.•••••.•••.••••• · •••••....••••.••..••••.•.•.•••.•.••••••••••••••.•.•. •. 56 17 •••..••••••••••••••.•..••• ,.......................................................... 56 18 •••••••••.••••.••••••••.•••••••••.•..•••• • :. .• .• ••• ••••••••••••• •. •.•••. ..•• ••.• •• .• . 56 

Gallons. 89.76 

269.28 

501.16 

718.08 1, 271.60 

1,353.88 

a It should be remembered that this statement Is made for the Arkansas Valley, where the water Is near 

the surface. 
I 

VALUE OF CROP~. 

Work done by windmills of di rrerent sizes. 

Average Heif!t 

Size and type of windmill. wind ve- wa.. Time. locity per was hour. lifted. 

---

Days. Mil1!8. Feet. 

16-foot, direct stroke .................................. 45t "12.98 56 14-foot, back geared •••..•...•.•....•......•........... 45t 12.98 56 13-foot, back geared ................................... 45t 12.98 56 

12 foot, back geared .......... t •••••••••••••.••• , ...... 45t 12.98 56 

VALUE OF CROPS. 

29 

Quantity of water pumped. 

Gallon8. Acre-feet. 762,967 2.31 

666,991 2.05 

002,207 1.54 

408,854 1.25 

Intensive cultivation of crops that yield large returns per acre 

would, of course, leave the largest margin after the cost of the water 

is deducted and would thus guarantee the surest success for irrigation by pumping, but present calculations must be based upon such 

ordinary :field crops as can be depended upon in respect to both 

yield and market value. It is not intended here to enter into a full 

discussion of the various crops that might be raised, but rather to 

state a few facts which will give some quantitative basis for comparing crop returns with cost of water. 

In regard to alfalfa, Samuel Fortier,a chief of irrigation investigations in the Department of Agriculture, states: ' 

Perhaps the most essential conditions for the production of alfalfa are abundant sunshine, a h_igh summer temperature, sufficient moisture, and a rich, deep, well-drained 

soil. All of these essentials, save moisture, exist naturally in the arid region of the 

United States, and when water is supplied it makes the conditions ideal. * * * 

It is grown successfully in every State and Territory of the arid region, in localities 

which are not only widely separated but possess many radical differences in the way 

of rainfall, temperature, altitude, topography, and soil. 

Mr. Fortier cites an experiment in Montana in which with 1 foot of 

irrigation water 4.42 tons of cured alfalfa per acre were produced, and 

with 2 feet, 6.35 tons, and adds: 

The results of this experiment seem to confirm the best practice of southern California, which may be summed up by stating that in localities having an annual rainfall of about 12 inches remarkably heavy yields of alfalfa may be obtained from the 

use of 24 to 30 inches of irrigation water providing it is properly applied. 

C. A. Fisher b states that in the vicinity of Roswell, N.Mex., if 30 

inches per year are properly applied, tlu:ee or four crops of alfalfa may 

be cut, an average yield being 1 ton to the acre for each cutting. 

V. L. Sullivan, territorial engineer of New Mexico, estimates c that 

"the yield of hay (alfalfa) in this part of the United States is 2 to 7 

tons an acre when grown under h:rigation; an average of 5 tons is a 

conservative estimate, usually producing a net return of $10 per ton." 

a Irrigation ef alfalfa: Farmers' Bull. No. 373, U. S. Dept. Agr., 1909. 

b Geology and underground waters of Roswell artesian area, New Mexico: Water-Supply Paper U. S. 

Geol. Survey No. 158, 1906, p. 28. 

cirrigatlon In New Mexico: Farmel!l' Bull. No. 215, U.s. Dept. Agr., 1909, p. 17. 
30 GROUND WATERS OF ESTANCIA VALLEY, NEW MEXICO. 

Alfalfa seed is a valuable though rather uncertain crop, but it requires 

little water and could perhaps be raised to advantage after one crop of 

hay had been harvested. 

Good crops of :Wheat, oats, and other cereals could no doubt be 

raised by irrigation, but a given amount of water would probably 

accomplish more if appli~d to beans, potatoes, or forage plants such 

as cane, Milo maize, and kaffir corn. Beets, melons, and vegetables 

are said to thrive well when moisture is applied, and some kinds of 

fruit could be raised. 

BEST USE OF THE WATER. 

The most hopeful view of the future of irrigation in Estancia Valley can not alter the conclusion that this valley must remain essentially a grazing or dry-farming region. Grazing yields very small 

returns per acre; dry farming may, if the elements happen to be 

propitious, yield vastly ~ore. But the elements are and always will 

be capricious, and the farmer who must depend upon them entirely 

will necessarily have a precarious lot. The available water will, of 

·course, be ut_ilized in various ways, but it would seem that in the 

main it would. be put to its best use when it is employed to supplement dry farming and stock raising. 

In the first place, every farmer should irrigate a few shade trees, a 

small orchard, a small grass lawn, and a garden containing vegetables, 

shrubs, and flowers. These things will contribute much to the comfort of farm life, and, moreover, the garden will be of substantial value 

in supplying food for the household and in making it possible to tide 

over dry years. One of the very few examples of such irrigation at 

present found in the wide expanse of the valley is at the old Moriarty 

ranch. A small supply of water will provide these essentials. Indeed, 

there are few localities in the valley where enough water can not be 

obtained, or where it is so deep that the farmer can not afford to 

pump it for this purpose. For this kind of irrigation windmills wil1 

be useful, but it will be well to supplement them by small gasoline 

engines, so that the supply will not fail at the time it is most needed. 

Where plentiful supplies of water are available within a comparatively short distance of the surface it may be profitable to install a 

larger plant and to irrigate a number of additional acres, on which can 

be raised alfalfa or forage, which will have a high value if fed to the 

stock on the farm in the winter or in times of extreme drought, when 

otherwise the stock would suffer severely; or a portion of the water 

can be used to raise for the market some more intensive crop, such as 

beans or potatoes, the proceeds of which will help to tide over years 

of failure in dry farming. 

More than this, it may be that the ground water can be used to 

some extent to supplement dry farming directly. The damage to 
THE ALKALI PROBLEM. 31 

crops is due perhaps less to the absolute deficiency of. rainfall than to 

its irregularity and uncertainty. For example, enough rain may f.all 

throughout the growing season to produce a f.air yield except in one 

period of. drought. If. during this period the ground could be given 

one good wetting, success would be assured; but the wetting does not 

come and the f.armer stands helplessly by to see his crop a total 

f.ailure. It req1.1ires no argument to show that irrigation water at 

this critical time would have a value out of. all propqrtion to that of. 

its ordinary crop-producing power. It is also evident that a relatively small amount of. water, considered for the entire year, would 

cover a large acreage; and it will be readily appreciated by the dry 

f.armer who has gone through the hard experience of. seeing his entire 

crop ruined that if., by means of. the artificial application of. water, 

only a small portion of. his crop can be saved, it will be infinitely better 

than f.ailure. · There will, of. course, be difficulties in developing a 

feasible method of. combining irrigation and dry f.arming, but there 

appears to be no inherent reason why such a combination method 

can not be evolved. 

The limits to ,the area in which the larger use of water is practicable and the limits to the amount of irrigation that is possible in 

any given locality within this area must be determined gradually 

by experience. The situation tends strongly toward an economical 

use of the water, and economy will tend in two ways to enlarge the 

scope of irrigation. It will reduce to a minimum the expense of 

pumping and the waste of the limited underground supply. The 

first concerns the immediate welfare of the individual; the second 

concerns the permanent welfare of the entire community. To a certain extent individual self-interest will here abet the public welfare, 

for the pump will not be operated except when necessary. 

THE ALKALI PROBLEM. 

The answer to the question whether a certain quality of water 

can be successfully used for irrigation depends largely on a number 

of related conditions, among which may be mentioned the kind of 

crops to be raised, the amount of alkali already in the soil, the natural 

drainage of the land or the- ease with which artificial drainage could 

be established, and the cost and abundance of the water itself. If. 

all these conditions are favorable, water containing large amounts 

of sodium sulphate and sodium chloride can be used with success, 

but if all or most of them are unfavorable the case is entirely different. 

During the summer of 1902 T. H. Means, of the Bureau of Soils, 

visited certain oases in the Sahara Desert in eastern Algeria, in which 

waters carrying large quantities of soluble matter are used successfully for irrigation. Some of the vegetables successfully grown are 
32 GROUND WATERS OF ESTANCIA VALLEY, NEW MEXICO. 

those considered sensitive to alkali, and yet they were being irrigated 

with water containing, in some places, as much as 8,000 parts per 

million of soluble salts, sometimes as much as one-half of these salts 

being sodium chloride. The methods used are described as follows: a 

The Arab gardens are divided into small plots, about 20 feet square, between which 

run drainage ditches dug to a depth of about 3 feet. The soils being very light and 

sandy, this ditching at short intervals insures the most rapid a_nd thorough drainage. 

Irrigation is by the check method, and application is made at least once a week, 

though often two wettings a week are deemed necessary. A large quantity of water 

is used at each irrigation. Thus a continuous mo;ement of the water downward is 

maintained, there is little opportunity for the soil water to become more concentrated 

than the water as applied, and the intervals between irrigations being so short but 

little accumulation of salt from evaporation at the surface takes place. What concentration or accumulation does occur is quickly corrected by the succeeding irrigation. 

It is essential to note that the successful use of this water depends 

entirely upon good drainage conditions and the application of large 

amounts of water. In the same paper, Means says: 

The limit for concentration for irrigation water in the United States, even where only 

the most resistant crops are to be grown, has been placed by some authorities at 300 

parts sodium chloride (common salt) or sodium carbonate (black alkali) and at from 

1, 700 to 3,000 parts of the less harmful salts, per million of water.b Those who place 

the low limit of safety for alkaline irrigation waters have taught that where water was 

badly alkaline irrigation should be sparing. They have not insisted on thorough 

drainage, and they have warned irrigators against too frequent irrigation. With such 

practices the limit of concentration which they set is probably high enough, and even 

then all except the most sandy soils or those with exceptionally good natural drainage 

would ultimately be damaged. 

Writing upon the same subject, C. N. Dorsey says: c - . When ~he soil contains a relatively large amount of salt and but little water containing lil,:uch salt is frequently applied, the ordinary evaporation will increase the salt 

content of the soil to such an extent that crops can no longer survive, whereas if adequate dfamage is provided and a large amount of water is used the excess of salt 

resulting from the evaporation of previous applications of water may be removed and 

the soil moisture be maintained at nearly the same concentration as the water supply. 

The data given under "Soil" and "Quality of water" furnish a 

basis for a rather definite conclusion in regard to the feasibility of 

irrigating in the alkali area of Estancia Valley. The samples of soil 

that were analyzed have a high alkali content, and the water in the 

same region is rich in dissolved chlorides and sulphates. Within the 

area_ of saline shallow water (that is, the area in which the shallow 

ground water has a chlorine content of more than 1,000 parts per 

million), 9 samples of deeper water were te.sted, and the average 

chlorine content of these 9 samples was found to be 595 parts per 

million. On the assumption that all the chlorine is in equilibrium 

a :Means, T. H., The use of alkaline and saline waters for irrigation: Bureau of Soils Circular No. 10, U.S. 

Dept. Agr. 

bIn the original paper the quantities are expressed in parts per 100,000 of water. 

c Reclamation of alkali soils: Bull. Bureau of Soils No. 34, U. S. Dept. Agr., 1906, p. 11. 
SUMMARY. 33 

with sodium, the a'Terage content of common salt would be 982 parts 

per million, or more than 2,500 pounds per acre-foot. By the time 

10 feet of water would have been applied to a field, 25,000 pounds of 

common salt woul4 have been placed on each acre irrigated, which 

would be 0.625 per cent of the soil if concentrated in the first foot, or 

0.156 per cent if di~tributed through the upper 4 feet. 

If good drainag£1 conditions could be established and the water 

could be applied unsparingly, then, by the use of the deeper water, 

the alkali now in the soil and that introduced by the water could 

be disposed of by leaching it downward and draining it away. Unfortunately the natural drainage is poor and the expense of establishing artificial dr~inage would be too great. Unfortunately, too, 

the liberal use of water would be prevented by t~e limitations of the 

supply and the cost of pumping. In view of these facts the general 

conclusion can notl be a voided that in the most alkaline portion of 

the central flat irrigation by pumping from wells is not feasible, and 

it becomes necessary to advise against expenditures for installing 

pumping plants within this area. A like caution should also be 

given for a wider region having poor drainage, water of intermediate 

chlorine content, or soil that shows any alkali symptoms, lest, in the 

course of time, the sparing application of well water will result in an 

injurious accumulation of alkali. 

SUMMARY. 

The conclusions in regard· to irrigation with ground water can be 

briefly summarized as follows: 

In spite of the high cost of fuel, if the water is lifted in the most 

economical way and is wisely used, pumping for irrigation can under 

favorable conditions be made profitable. The underground supply 

is too small to irrigate more than a small part of the valley, but it 

is sufficient to add materially to the prosperity and comfort of the 

people. Even where the depth to water is great, the irrigation of 

a garden, lawn, and orchard will generally be feasible. In the 

central area, however, the presence. of alkali may seriously .impair 

the quality of the water or may prohibit its use. Taken as a whole, 

the water of Estancia Valley is a valuable resource that should be 

developed, but its development should be conducted carefully and 

with full cognizance of the inherent limitations. 

0