Dell Valley Groundwater Levels Continue Downward Trend
Water levels in the aquifer underlying the Dell Valley continued their downward trend during the last year, increasing the possibility that the Valley’s groundwater district may act to reduce the amount of water allocated to farmers in 2015.
Despite flooding last September that briefly raised aquifer levels by as much as 4 feet, data gathered in March found that, on the whole water, aquifer levels had fallen compared to the same time the year before. The data was gathered by the Hudspeth County Underground Water Conservation District #1 on March 6. Figures varied, with some wells actually registering higher levels than those registered when data was gathered in 2013, on Feb. 26, but the general trend was downward. (See table below.)
Randy Barker, general manager for the water district, said that the downward trend was in part attributable to persistent drought conditions in the Sacramento Mountains; rain and snowfall in those mountains contribute much of the recharge to the Bone Springs-Victorio Peak Aquifer, which underlies the Valley. The ongoing expansion of irrigated farming in the Valley is likely the other major factor, Barker said.
Water levels in the aquifer have been on a downward trend of between 1.5 and 2 feet a year since 2010, even as farming has increased and irrigation has surged. Pumping within the water district increased from about 75,000 acre-feet in 2006 to 103,000 acre-feet in 2012, as acreage in cultivation increased from about 15,000 acres to more than 21,000.
New farming operations in the Valley – including HDR Farms and Par 5, which are operated by dairies based in Dexter, N.M. – have introduced significant additional acreage into cultivation since that time. The figure this year is estimated at 25,000 acres, and Barker said he expects that irrigation this year will be significantly greater than it was in 2014.
The water district board revisits allotments every two years, and in 2013, while the downward trend was noticeable, the board decided to leave allotments for irrigators unchanged. Irrigators are currently permitted to pump up to 4 acre-feet of water per acre of permitted land each year. Under the district’s rules, that allotment must be cut to 3 acre-feet per acre if the elevation of the aquifer drops below 3,560 feet above sea level. With the current conditions, the board will either have to cut the allotment in 2015 or act to change its own rules.
Barker said it would be his recommendation to the board that allotments be reduced for 2015. Though the deadline for voting on the matter would be March 2015, board members have agreed they would prefer to take up the issue sooner, so as to give the Valley’s farmers time to plan for the 2015 season. Barker said the board will probably begin discuss the allotments in September of this year.