Water District to Discuss Dell Valley Allotments Tuesday (March 12)
The board of the Hudspeth County Underground Water Conservation District #1 is expected to discuss the next two years’ irrigation allotments for the Dell Valley, when they meet Tuesday (March 12) in the district’s offices at 107 S. Dodson in Dell City. The time for the meeting had not been set as of press-time.
Validation permit holders are currently allotted 4 acre-feet of water per acre of land, and, under the district’s rules, the lowest the board can set the allotment is 3 acre-feet per acre. The board reviews the average water elevation for the aquifer and sets the allotment every two years.
Data from the district’s single test well indicates that the water level in the Valley’s aquifer has been steadily declining in recent years. According to data presented to the board at its February meeting by Al Blair, the district’s hydrological consultant, the water elevation is exhibiting a general downward trend, dating back to 2005, of between 1.5 and 2 feet each year,
The board has adopted a policy of sustainability in its managing of the aquifer, meaning that the district aims to manage the aquifer so that there is no significant drop in the water table over time. The cause of the recent downward trend is unclear – as pumping in the Valley has not exceeded the rate that should allow for sustainability. Though recent drought conditions may have impacted water levels, the Bone Springs-Victorio Peak Aquifer, which underlies the Valley, is understood to receive its recharge primarily from precipitation in the Sacramento Mountains to the north, precipitation that could take long periods of time to flow down to the Valley. It is also unclear whether data from the single test well is representative of the water elevation of the aquifer the as a whole.
Blair is expected to attend Tuesday’s meeting and discuss the water elevation with the board then. The board could act to reduce the amount of water it allots to validation permit holders, which in turn could impact the number of acres farmers can keep under cultivation. Though he emphasized the decision was up to the board, district General Manager Randy Barker said he did not anticipate the allotment would be reduced at this time.
Also at Tuesday’s meeting, the board is expected to discuss and possibly vote on the district’s Groundwater Management Plan, a document that must be updated every five year. Among other things, the plan identifies the amount of water deemed to be available for pumping from the aquifer. Barker said the draft plan under consideration by the board does not include any major changes from the document approved five years ago.