BOARD00531

• Board Meeting Date: 5/7/1969
• Description: Agenda or Table of Contents, Minutes, Memos
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Meeting

recharge they are currently getting from
their source area for the runoff and re-
charge area in the use area.

I

The major problem in that area, of
course, is the very great development of
wells, particularly in the past few years.
Everybody has asked for a permit so that
they can get in on this water supply. We
notice though that the well installations
and the pumpage have increased substantially
starting in about 1964 when we had some 700
irrigation wells. At the end of 1968 we
had 1850 irrigation wells and our latest
report is that we have now more than 2200
irrigation wells that have been installed
to date. This represents a very serious
problem, both to the state engineer and the
Ground Water Commission and should be of
concern to anybody interested in the water
and the economy of the state.

I

To show what the impact is in this
particular area we have a water level decline
map. The area in blue has been little
affected by the pumpage of wells. The areas
in orange, red and purple are those areas
that have been affected since 1964, during
the period 1964-1969. The area cert~inly of
greatest development, the greatest density of
wells, the greatest withdrawal of the water
is in Kit Carson county and there the effects
have been quite dramatic. We show a 15 foot
decline here, five to.ten feet in the red
area, minus two to minus five feet in the
orange area. To show more dramatically how
the increase in number of wells has affected
the water supply, we have drawn up this graph
that shows the change in water level in a
well in Kit Carson county.

You will notice here that in about 1964
When the large number of well installations
began, the water level started declining quite
rapidly. The decline, even though it looks