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<br />""J <br />.~. - - -. <br />",;':;,- <br />,~". <br /> <br />Southwest Area <br /> <br />GenersJ. <br /> <br />Recoml.&iss8,llce ma.pping of laads south 8,Ild west of Alam.osa <br />bas revea.led tbat about 17,000 acres of uncultivated, brush-covered <br />lead, with. a generally high. water table, offer !I.Jl opPOrtunity for the <br />sa.J:va&e of consiurable water 8ml.uaJJ.y. Figure 4 is a ma.p of this area. <br /> <br />'!.'he area has loDg been recognized as ORe of h.1gh. water use. . <br />'!.'he sl1aded areas shOWll. on Figure 4 probably bave never been cultivated, <br />and the extent of adjacelllt cultivated areas bas remaued fairly constant <br />over the past 30 years or more. <br /> <br />'!.'he area bas a generally high water tabla, the nuctuatiolls <br />of which are recorded as depth to water reeili..gs which. arelllll.de period- <br />ica.lly at several wells a the area. '!.'he vegetatiolt ill the uncultivated' <br />portions isgenersJ.ly siu.tgrass, greasewood, rabbit brush, ad other <br />water~ons'''''i''gplaats of little value. Cultivated leads adjaceat to <br />th.e area are cOlllStantly 'becnmi.gless valUable because of ssJ.tad <br />..11<.oJ'I accmlln)ation due to aadequate drainage; <br /> <br />The area has little topographic relief and slopes eastward <br />about 6 feet per mile. !'his slope is closely pa.ra.J.leled by the g:rQl1Jl-a <br />water table. The hig. water table is mautai!l.ed .by grol.llld water anew <br />!'rea irrigatecl lands, by draiJl.a&e news, and probably u part by . <br />losses from irrigati01l alo..-els. Lands u the area are used as <br />pasture for livestock. Irrigation develo]ments to the,'west have caused <br />a. censtant groun4 water uflo1r which h.ae precluded irr1gat101l de'ftlop- <br />meat without efficient draiBage facilities. ' <br /> <br />Water Avallable for Salva,p <br /> <br />Of the observatiOll wells mailltailled ill the area, five M-ve a <br />record of sufficient lel!lgth to be of value. AlIlsJ.yses of the hyd,rographs <br />of these wells iIldicate that for the 3-year period .1950-195~, 0.82 acre- <br />feet per acre of J..u.d would laave be.. ssJ.'Yageable a.mauall.y witJaout dis- <br />turbing the hydro.logic bala.Jt.ce of the area. 'Studies made du.rl1tg the <br />preparation of the feasibility report on the Closed BuuD1v:l.sioa of <br />theSaB Luis Valley Project disc10se4tllat the ratio of aYera&e aJUl.ual <br />aet tl'all.$piratiOll in the Glosed Buill for the periOd 1936-1960 totllat for <br />'the period Qf J9~ -1952, is 1.18" 'Using the same ra:tio, the average <br />a:IUI.W!I1net trauspiratiOll of'~dwatera the Bout_st Area for the <br />period 1936 to 1960 WOuld. be LO acre-feet per acre, thus 17,600 acre- <br />feet of water is coasider/ld salvageable in the area. <br /> <br />Quality of Salvaged Water <br /> <br />Oaly'l1m1ted data 0l!1 qus.J,.1ty of water are available for the <br />Sout1l:west .Area. III JWIle 1936, s1!lgle 5amples were obtaiDed.of the <br /> <br />Rev.' lQ-29-64 <br /> <br />18 <br /> <br />.' '3 <br />' ,'-' <br />\., ..)' <br />