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Or'"3?O '.J Ll .:.-0 CHAPTER I! LAND J\1ID WATER RESOURCES . Ground Water No ground-water aquifers sui table for irrigation are known to exist in the project area. Ground-water return f'low from lands at the higher elevations would, however, be a source of irrigation supply for some of the lower lands located in a position to divert such flow. Quality of Water Only one known sample of water f'rcm the Piedra River has been tested for quality. 'Ibis sample was taken on September 11, 1945, at Piedra 28.5 miles downstresm from the potential point of diversion of the project irri- gation water. 'lhe sample showed 280 parts per million of dieeolved solids and a "percent sodium" of 28, Water from the smaller snowf'ed drainage available for project irrigation use should be of better quality than that at Piedra. Water applied on presently irrigated lands hee been satisfacto- rily used for many years. Potential return f'low f'rom a few small areas, mostly adjacent to project lands, may be somewhat saline. This effect would be min:l.m1zed, however, as the return f'low from these areas would be combined with other flowe returning from neutral or in some cases slightly acid soils. . Water Uses Irrigation is the only significant local use of' Piedra R:lver waters. In addition to the within basin irrigation uses described in Chapter I, there are two transbasin diversions f'rom the headwaters of' the Piedra R:lver that convey water to the R:lo Grande Basin for irrigation. Records maintained by the State Engineer show that the Piedra Paes ditch, which diverts during the summer months fram the IIlain stem of the Piedra R:lver above the potential project diversion, has d.1 verted an average annual f'low of 52 acre-feet for the period 1940 througb. 1955. S:I.m11ar records show that the Squaw Pass ditch, which intercepts f'lows from a tributary of Williame creek, has diverted an average of 153 acre-feet annually for the period 193'1 throu@p. 1955, Water Rights . Prior to 1941 apprOJdmately 1,100 acres of' land in Piedra Park were irrigated from small ditches diverting from Big and Little Pagosa Creeks, operating under decreed d.1rect flow water rights totaling 32.5 second- feet, In ).941 the Piedra Falls ditch, which diverts f'rom Piedra River and also from Big and Little pagosa Creeks, was cOll!Pleted. It now serves nearly all of the lands previously irrigated by the smaller d.1tches. A second ditch, owned jointly by Meesrs. H. E. Minor and Kenneth McDonald, diverts from Piedra River immediately above the Piedra Falls ditch and serves fI'Olll 200 to 300 acres of land on the west side of the river. Since 1950 filings have been made for water righte of 26 second-feet for the Piedra Fall..s d.1 tch and 15 second-feet for the ditch owned by Minor and 16