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<br />through unconsolidated gravels into the groundwater. This i~ in Dart due to the <br /> <br />" "':,. <br />." , <br />~,' <br /> <br />unavailabjlitv of an economical labor force to c~rrv out ir(iQation as it was done in thti <br /> <br />early 19508. <br /> <br />In 1954 Otero countv had ~ farm IDbar force of 2.643 wbich i(lcltJded familv members <br /> <br />and hired I~bor. Accordina to the 1964 Uniteq States Census of Aaricu'ture r800rt. in <br /> <br />1959 Otero countv. had 427 tJimd farm l,WJorers that worked more than 150 d~vs or <br /> <br />more. The 1992 lJlJited States Census of Aarfculture (soort savs that the same <br /> <br />countv on Iv emoloved 222 farm laborers for more than 150 davs in 1992. <br /> <br />Data was gathered on nitrates in groundwater from the Water Quality Control Division <br /> <br />(WQCD), the Colorado Department of Health and Environment (CDPHE) and the <br /> <br />Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Storet Data. <br /> <br />There am Aa number of wells in the area tI:lat-are high in nitrates. From various data <br /> <br />sources 20 wells in the watershed were found to exceed the ,S,etate and EPA <br /> <br />standards (10 ppm); this is approximately 1/3 of the wells tested. The Arkansas River <br /> <br />water approaches the state nitrate level standard at times. <br /> <br />The sources of the nitrates is a combination of naturally occurring and applied. The <br /> <br />higher nitrate concentrations in wells generally occur in the lower portions of the <br /> <br />irrigated watershed closest to the river. The nitrate concentration for the wells range <br /> <br />from .25 parts per million to 39 parts per million. There are Aapproximately 500 wells <br /> <br />m,in the watershed area. Approximately 400 are used for irrigation and 100 for <br />drinking, livestock, and other uses. <br /> <br />3ll <br />3ll <br />