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<br />!(,?'i\' <br />->-, ~, <br />.;:-;::. <br /> <br />1'.r1nehera. Creek Area. <br /> <br />GeneraJ. , <br /> <br />Near the confluence of ~inchera Creek w:l.th, the Ilio Grande, allout- <br />12 miles southeast of Al.aaosa., there is all. area. of Sene1"ll.l.l7 high water COI:I- <br />SUlllptiol:ldue to the existence of all. ~ily high water table. '.!he area <br />is shown on Figure 7. ~ high water taUe has :resulted f'r_ e.etivities <br />couectea. with lan4 prQlllOtion schemes which weN! vel'Y' imeh in evidence in <br />the southeastern part of' the San Ltd.s V&lley during the 1950's. <br /> <br />OIle of' the principal prcmoters in the area was responsi1l1e for <br />lIl&stof the develO:pJllents which' have CGlltributed. tG the high water table. <br />- These include two diversim ditches, one south lM'l.d one north f'rQll ~inchera <br />Creek, to divert floodtlows and spills f'rQlll SIll.1:t.b. Reservoir, IiIl irrisatiOll <br />fe.eUity upstream on 'l'rtnchera Creek. '.!he location of' Smith Reservoir' 1s <br />shOYIl ou. the General Map. The, a.epletion of' the flows of' the creek has <br />caused restri,ot1ou. and aggradatiOlil, of' the oh..nnel ;for a.bout 3 DlUes above <br />the m!Yi1th, ana thus has vi~elilllin'l.ted the natural. drainage the <br />(>q"~~l f'ormerly Provided ;for adJaeent lands in this reach. No f':U1ugs <br />ou. the f1.ovs of' ~iaQhera ereek weN! ever ma4e by the cn,aer of' the 4i ver- <br />s11m. 4ittlhes, aocordiug to the locaJ. Water Clllllllll1ssiener. Portions of' the <br />' ~as to which these diversiou. ditehes lead were cuJ:tiva.ted at one time, <br />But the laok of'adequ.ate drai....ge has caused IiIl accUlltlla.t1on of' salts <br />which hasrestriotedyielb to the pOint that BO f'lI.1"IIIiDg has 'been practiced <br />in the past 2 years. The h1gh.- water taUe in the area is aJ.so partia.'Uy <br />maillt&ia8ll )y the flow and probable lell.ka,ge f'raa ailout 17 artesian wells <br />which ex1st ia the area. These wells wre drilled, se.....""g'y at raa4ta, <br />by: a wll driller who was' givea the land in ~t f'Or drilling other <br />wells. ~ wells were .oUbtedly poorly construcW and no doubt leak <br />extensivel,y as most ,of'the wlls have ceased to flow at the surf'aQe.. <br /> <br />Land ClWerlBhips u the area have ""'''nged often, as WOldd De <br />expected, as the af'te:rmath of' land prCllliotiODal aetiVities. ~,BGlU'd ot <br />Directors of the San Luis Va.U$1' Water OonS$rvau.cy District 'becaae inter- <br />ested. Ul the salvage possibilities ot the ~a and. mad.e inquiries of' the <br />present la.nclowners with the idea of ac~ng the lami,_ at a ree.souble <br />priee, for salvage pliU'peses. It is! un4erstall4aDle, howeVer, that preseat <br />owners 1roUJ.d. like to recover their entire iBvestmen't,' which IlmOWlts tQ <br />about $4eO per aere. In the sprillg of 1963, aq11iries wre f1.OWing in <br />the other 41reetim ind.ica'ting that a J.esser price might be aeeeptable. <br /> <br />Water Available f'Qr SaJ.V1I4!ie <br /> <br />JqJpr--r.....tel,y 5,000 e.eres of water-logged land adJacent to the <br />lower reachesof'frillchera Creek and be1.ClW the toe ot the eastern "f'ans" <br />weuld be partiall,y drained \11' the Q,~tem;pla.ted facUities. Partial drain- <br />age will be achieved Decauseot the probable su'DllIurt'aee leakage of ex1stirlg <br />artesian wells in the area. The ree.umnellded salvage f'aeil1t1ell would pemit <br />se.l:Vii.ge of' an estimated ene-b&lf acre-f'ooto;f water per acre of laud att'ected, <br />ass1il.1l11Dg that cGlll;Pletely effective salvage :measures ~ iteld 011. acre-foot <br /> <br />.... ,.. ., <br />(~ ~ 'i J <br />v. <br /> <br />?R <br />