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001500 Wells Wells constitute a major source of stock water over most of the arid and semiarid ranges in the Pacific Southwest area. They have an advantage in that they provide a reliable and permanent supply for stock use, and where they can be completed at reasonable depth, the co'st of drilling and equipping the well compares favorably with the cost of con" structing a stock pond or perhaps developing a spring. When properly completed, the well should last indefinitely and the operating and mainte- nance cost generally is low, particularly where windmills are used for pumping, which is the usual practice except for very deep wells or for wells where high yields are requ ired. Stock wells have another distinct advantage from a legal stand- point in that they seldom have a discernible influence on streamflow and hence they do not interfere with any established water rights. The drilling of stock wells seldom creates any legal problems, and there is rarely any objection to their use from those having established water rights. Opposed to these advantages are several disadvantages, the most serious being the risk of failure to find water the owner must take, in which case the entire cost of drilling is lost with no chance of recovery. For deep wells, this loss can amount to several thousand dollars. Another disadvantage is the cost of providing storage tanks and troughs which nearly all wells require but which are often unnecessary with stock ponds. Also;' over large areas of the range, unfavorable geologic conditions make it impossible to develop successful wells within a reasonable drilling depth,' if at all. Power for pumping is required for all except flowing wells. Wind- mills in general are the most economical for this purpose. The disadvan- tage of windmills is that they are us eless during the long periods of calm which occur in some areas in certain seasons of the year. For this reason, key windmill wells usually are equipped with a pump jack and an auxiliary gas engine. In most of the Pacific Southwest the maximum depth of wells pumped by windmills is on the order of 600-800 feet, but in parts of New Mexlco windmills are pumping from depths of 1,200 feet or more. Forthe deepest wells, windmills with wheels as large as 26 feet in diameter are required. For wells with pump lifts of 600-800 feet, windmills with 18-20 foot diameter wheels are used. The larger mills require heavier, more substantial supporting towers and where auxiliary motors are required, pump jacks equipped with counter weights are usually provided. All these features add to the cost of the well and its operation, and naturally the range resources in the service area must be sufficient to compensate for the added expenses. 9