C150094 Red Mesa Aquifer Groundwater Study 2002

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Red Mesa Aquifer Groundwater Study — Interim Report 2002 Groundwater recharge of the terrace gravel aquifer is derived from deep infiltration of irrigation water and precipitation on Red Mesa. There is no regional groundwater system that supplies this area. The Red Mesa Aquifer is a closed system, affected only by surface water infiltration from irrigation and precipitation patterns. The surface water source for irrigation is the La Plata River system. La Plata River flows are largely gained from snowmelt at its headwaters in La Plata Canyon, north of Highway 160. Cherry Creek is the primary tributary of the La Plata River. The second largest tributary is Long Hollow, whose confluence with the La Plata is approximately four stream miles north of the New Mexico border. Hay Gulch is the third largest tributary and is the site of Red Mesa Ward Reservoir, a 1,172 of storage facility. There are eight stream gauging stations within or near the study area. Two of these include ramp flumes that were installed by the LPWCD with funding provided by the Bureau of Reclamation along the La Plata River in the winter of 2001-2002. The Bureau of Reclamation also has worked in conjunction with WWE by measuring flows at two sites along the La Plata River and two sites along Long Hollow (shown on the maps) during the period of the well monitoring program. The continuation of flow measurements at existing gauges and addition of new gauges, as needed, will provide further evidence of how irrigation interacts with surface water through groundwater travel. There are about 20 major irrigation ditches along the La Plata River, the most senior of which are near the Town of Hesperus. There is some irrigation west of the La Plata, but the vast majority of irrigation occurs east of the La Plata River on Red Mesa. Nine of these ditches are illustrated in Figure 3. 991-077/031 Wright Water Engineers, Inc. Page 5 Interim Report