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<br />> <br /> <br />Palomas, Rincon, Mesilla, and EI Paso Valleys. Elephant Butte and Caballo Reservoirs, <br />however, occupy the Engle and Palomas Valleys, and "canalization" in the Rincon and Mesilla <br />Valleys and "rectification" in the EI Paso Valley have shortened the channel somewhat. <br />Although their drainage areas are significant, the tributaries of the Rio Grande in this portion of <br />the basin normally do not contribute significant quantities of water. <br /> <br />The path of the river takes it through or adjacent to a series of structural basins. These <br />include the Palomas, the Jomada Del Muerto and the Mesilla in New Mexico and the Hueco in <br />Texas. The New Mexico basins lie between the Caballo, San Diego, Dona Ana, Organ, and <br />Franklin Mountains on the east and the Mimbres Mountains, Sierra de Las Unas, Sleeping Lady <br />Hills, Aden Hills, and East and West Portrillo Mountains in the west. The Hueco basin or <br />"bolson" lies between the Hueco Mountains on the east, the Franklin Mountains on the west, the <br />Tularosa basin on the north, and the Sierra Juarez on the south in Mexico. The deposits in <br />these locations are thought to be made up of several formations usually referred to as the Santa <br />Fe Group. As described later, the flood-plain alluvium and the basin-fill deposits in the Mesilla <br />basin and Hueco bolson are the major aquifers in the area. Several reports published by the <br />USGS and others that are cited later in this report and listed with the references show clearly <br />that these aquifers are hydraulically connected to the Rio Grande and pumping from them <br />affects the flow in the river. <br /> <br />At the present time, the Rio Grande Project facilities include Elephant Butte Reservoir, <br />with a capacity of approximately 2,065,000 acre-feet; Caballo Reservoir, with a capacity of <br />approximately 331,500 acre-feet; 6 diversion dams located on the Rio Grande (Percha, <br />Leasburg, Mesilla, American, International and Riverside); 139 miles of canals, and 458 miles of <br />laterals; and 461 miles of drains (USBR, 1995). The project provides water for irrigating <br />approximately 130,000 acres in the Rincon and Mesilla Valleys and about 40 miles of the EI <br />Paso Valley. The project lands in the Rincon Valley and the upper part of the Mesilla Valley are <br />in the Elephant Butte Irrigation District (EBID) in New Mexico. The project lands in the lower <br />part of the Mesilla Valley and the EI Paso Valley are in the EI Paso County Water Improvement <br />District No. 1 (EPCWID) in Texas. Cotton, alfalfa, vegetables (onions, lettuce, and chili <br />peppers), pecans, small grains, and grain sorghum are the main crops. The acreage and crops <br />irrigated in the Rio Grande Project are considered in detail in Section 5 of the report. The Rio <br />(~. C',,:.--, <br />.J I. ..,:.J.., <br /> <br />2-2 <br />