MountainWater.org
A stream of information in the Sacramento Mountains.
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New Mexico Foundation for Open Government
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Ruidoso Special Audit
Findings resulting from a review by the NM State Auditor of the villages policies and practices, contracts and financial reports, data and transactions. (This is an Adobe PDF document.)
Ruidoso Water Emergency
ONLINE PETITION:
To the Mayor of Ruidoso, NM and the Ruidoso Village Council:
We the undersigned believe we are in a true water emergency and petition our government - the Ruidoso Village Council to:
STOP THE ISSUING OF NEW BUILDING PERMITS IMMEDIATELY
Until the Village of Ruidoso has in place a state approved:
1. WATER CONSERVATION PLAN
2. DROUGHT EMERGENCY PLAN
3. 40 YEAR WATER PLAN
We note that, by law, state funding for Village water projects will not be available until these plans are in place.
This petition is sponsored by members of the Sacramento Mountains Watershed Restoration Corporation (SMWRC) and the concerned citizens of Ruidoso, NM.
Petition as a MS Word file.
Petition as an Adobe pdf file.
Village's 40-Year Water Plan a thinly veiled invitation to speculators
Ben Mason, Dick Wisner Ruidoso River Association
Ruidoso News
August 11, 2006
Ruidoso's long-awaited and revised 40-Year Water Plan was sent off to the Office of the State Engineer (OSE) last week with little fanfare and no public input.
Although it does dutifully include several new sections demanded by the OSE, Ruidoso's new plan is essentially the same as the one that was rejected two years ago. This is not surprising inasmuch as it was crafted by the very same authors. Any resemblance of this water plan to reality is purely coincidental.
Once again, this is not a water plan. It is still a thinly-veiled invitation to speculators. Any plan that finances growth with continued water rationing is in conflict, wouldn't you say. More...
Village declares water emergency
DIANNE STALLINGS dstallings@ruidosonews.com
May 24, 2006
Reacting to news that Grindstone Reservoir dropped to only a 234-day water supply, that the flow of the river that feeds it is low and that village wells aren't producing sufficiently, Ruidoso village councilors Friday declared a state of water emergency.
Using that declaration as a base, they imposed Phase 5 water restrictions, the strictest on the books, and a temporary moratorium on new developments and site plans.
Village Water Director Ken Mosley called conditions "the worst" he has seen, with little run-off to the Rio Ruidoso because of lack of snow last winter and sparse rainfall this spring. MORE
"If this drought persists, the possibility of moratoriums on new construction, severe water rationing, loss of supply wells and the need for emergency supplies is conceivable,"
L. Ray Nunley, Mayor of the Village of Ruidoso
April 20, 2006
Nunley addresses Senate committee on drought
WALTER RUBEL wrubel@lcsun-news.com
April 21, 2006
SANTA FE -- L. Ray Nunley, mayor of the Village of Ruidoso, is looking for help, and he is hopeful that U.S. Sens.. Pete Domenici and Jeff Bingaman will be able to provide it.
Nunley is one of nine New Mexicans who was asked to testify Wednesday before a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee field hearing in Albuquerque on the drought and associated water crisis.
"We're having a real problem here," Nunley said Tuesday. "We're not in a disaster -- I don't want to say that -- but it's real critical." MORE...
Request: Make audit accessible
DIANNE STALLINGS dstallings@ruidosonews.com
March 17, 2006
Just because a new village administration was elected and federal officials are reviewing findings in a special state audit, Jack McGrann doesn't want people to forget the seriousness of the findings in the audit of Ruidoso's contracts and financial dealings.
He urged that the entire audit be posted on the village Web site and be available for review at the public library, among other steps.
At 103 pages, the $25 charge for copying the audit at village hall may be too steep for some people who would like to review the 30 findings referred for possible prosecution, 14 internal weaknesses needing correction and five issues for village consideration, he told village councilors Tuesday.
He already posted the audit on his own Web site for people to download.
"I'd like to see a citizens oversight committee review the findings, to oversee disposition of the audit results and to oversee how they are resolved," he said. "I would like a public hearing held. I think the public deserves to hear in detail the contents of the special audit (that took one year to complete)."
District Attorney Scot Key referred the possible criminal findings to the U.S. Attorney two months ago. That office handles prosecution, but not investigation, a spokesman explained Wednesday. The Federal Bureau of Investi-gation, White Collar Crime Division, would handle the project, if it was referred, but no one from either agency would confirm the audit was received.
Mayor L. Ray Nunley told McGrann that village staff was given six months to correct the internal control criticisms, but the village has no control over how the other issues will be handled, other than urge that the process be expedited.
"That's an excellent recommendation to put it in the library," the mayor said. He was told by a library representative that the project already was underway.
McGrann said he understood discussion is limited on the issues that may end up in court, but, "It's a huge document and cannot be aired properly unless by a committee."
Councilor Ron Hardeman said he didn't see how a village committee would help.
"Anyone can come and give input at our meetings, to us individually or to the newspaper," the councilor said. "It's available at the library, on our Web site and your Web site. I think it is being talked about a lot."
"I don't think that's adequate," McGrann disagreed.
New Councilor Greg Cory, a bank president, said he received a copy that day and needs time to review the findings. Then he can come back to discuss or recommend action.
Councilor Michele Rebstock suggested after all the reviews, staff provide progress reports on corrective actions.
Former village councilor Al Junge, who for the past two years urged village officials to press for payment of money he contended the village was owed under the first 15 years of the lease of public land for a golf course, said Wednesday court should be the last resort on handling that item cited by state auditors.
The first step should be a letter to the golf course owner requesting payment or a meeting to sit down and discuss the situation. He said village officials need to move on the issue now that state auditors reached a similar conclusion on the interpretation of the golf course lease and on the village being owed money.
McGrann's site is www.MountainWater.org.
The village site is www.voruidoso.com.
From RuidosoNews.com
Time out, Ruidoso: Declare a moratorium on new water connections
BEN MASON Ruidoso River Association
Jan 6, 2006
It is now clear to almost everyone that Ruidoso has a serious water problem. We draw our water from a small and isolated watershed, and our demands are now bumping hard against the natural limitations that come with the territory. The village has no water plan and is consuming more Rio Ruidoso water than its water rights permit. In spite of rapid population growth, no significant new water rights have been acquired during the last 20 years.
Village authorities have not yet taken any announced position on mitigating the water crisis; consequently, the directors of the Ruidoso River Association urge action on four fronts:
Commence a study of leakage control. Contrary to published figures, leakage and loss amounts to about a third of all water produced, almost 700 acre-feet per year. A serious control program could probably cut that in half, but it would be expensive; a specialized engineering firm would probably have to be employed, and a great deal of pipe replaced. It would be a multi-year project.
Study the use of treated effluent on turf -- golf courses, athletic fields, cemeteries, etc. The Links uses an average of 215 acre-feet per year, and Cree Meadows probably consumes a similar amount. To avoid long pumping distances and excessive piping costs, one or two "package" treatment plants may be required. Again, a multi-year project and a lot of money.
Continue looking for new water, but let's not be gullible. The airport test well may be productive in the sense of good test flow, but usage may be constrained by the flow gauge at Government Spring. The spring feeds the lower Bonito from the San Andres formation, and the state engineer will permit our (leased) Bonito rights to be exercised only when Government Spring flow exceeds a certain level. It is our understanding that this occurs only during runoff and flooding.
Pause and reflect. Ruidoso needs a timeout, and the only way to get it is to declare a temporary moratorium on new water connections. If 2006 is the kind of precipitation disaster that we are experiencing right now, we are headed toward severe water rationing.
Perhaps more than anything we need to adopt a new attitude. The village water utility has about 8,000 connections, and every one has a higher moral (and perhaps legal) claim on our water resources than any proposed new development has.
Look at the back of your water bill, and you will see that you are paying a "base rate," (also called a "ready-to-serve" charge) amounting to $19.87 per month. By charging and accepting this sum, the village water utility promises to have available water and service upon demand. Whether you use any water or not, you pay it, and rightly so. It is enormously costly for a seasonal resort to be constantly ready to assure that every faucet will have pressure when needed.
Individual property owners have paid a ready-to-serve charge for months, years, decades, and even generations. They have every reason to expect that Ruidoso's water resources will not be diluted and dissipated by the reckless addition of new connections without regard for the current users' investment. Will their claim on water service be honored?
If we assume that service to all current connections is a genuine commitment (as it certainly must be), we begin to see that the village utility has undertaken a formidable obligation. Consider this example: The average village dwelling uses only 0.15 acre-feet per connection annually because of the preponderance of absentee owners. My own water consumption in 2004 was 0.27 acre-feet; it may be fairly representative of a full-time Ruidoso residence having no lawn, but fair-sized flower beds. This means that a simple change of ownership from absentee to full-time residence can almost double the water demand at that meter.
Based on observation and anecdotal evidence, almost all homes that change ownership become more intensively used. The new owner is likely to upgrade or even tear down and replace the structure. The additional investment will predispose the new owner to spend more time -- even to retire as a permanent resident -- in Ruidoso. If this is the case, the gradually changing characteristics of property ownership will cause an inexorable growth in the average usage even if no more connections are installed. If as many as half of the village connections had to deliver the annual 0.27 acre-feet that I use and the rest stayed with the low figure of 0.15 acre-feet per year, we would need an additional 650 acre-feet per year (including leakage).
This enormous looming obligation to supply existing water connections seems to make serious discussion of annexations or large developments such as Moon Mountain not only ridiculous, but a disgraceful betrayal of the property owners whose taxes keep this village alive.
The ultimate responsibility to redeem the pledge of dependable water service rests not on the water department but upon the mayor and council.
Sustainability of Water Supply: Picture and Rationale
To All,
This is the picture I've come up with (paraphrasing Bill Midkiff's suggestions at the Nov. 30 L. C. Planning Commission meeting) to advance both at the workshops on the Subdivision Ordinance and at PLURAAC's re-write of the LCCLUP (Lincoln County Comprehensive Land Use Plan). It is a departure from the usual approach in that it emphasizes sustainability of water supply by balancing infiltration against withdrawal, rather than 'availability' of water (from storage) versus demand. A significant virtue is that for large enough (say, watershed size) systems, it can be argued that the more difficultly knowable variables (such as aquifer flow into and out of the system) are less important. The major variables, rainfall and water usage, are relatively easier to measure and default values are available. I would appreciate all comments and suggestions about this picture... (Link is for MSWord document.)
Many claim that there is just not enough data, given hydrogeologic uncertainties, to come to any conclusions about water limitation in the Sacramentos. It would be interesting to give numeric examples using this picture and data from Eagle Creek or perhaps La Luz Canyon. That claim might be refuted.
It is possible that representatives from the two hydrogeological firms widely used for water availability assessment in Lincoln County, M. Darr and D. B. Stevens, may be at the next (and final workshop) L. C. Planning Commission meeting to discuss the usual approach for 'proving' water availability.
Regards,
L. I. (Tony) Davis
From RuidosoNews.com
By the numbers: anatomy of a water shortage
BEN MASON Ruidoso River Association
November 25, 2005
Ruidoso's current population requires roughly 2,000 acre-feet of water per year. The average annual production for years 2001-2004 was 2,027 acre-feet.
The Eagle Creek watershed delivers an average production of 1,209 acre-feet per year (1991-2004), but drought years 2000-2004 averaged only 885 acre-feet. Unlike Eagle Creek, the Rio Ruidoso basin is a reliable water source that consistently produces the 486 acre-feet annually, composed of 306 acre-feet of rights owned by the village and 180 acre-feet leased. Special rights recently granted by the State Engineer for return flow credit constitute a significant cushion, but the amount varies from year to year. The basis for calculating our return-flow credit is our usage of surface flow and well water from Eagle Creek. During drought, Eagle Creek dries up, and the wells there lose capacity. In a good year, the credit will be about 600 acre-feet and in a bad year perhaps 300 acre-feet. More...
11/14/05
To all SMWRC members,
The US Forest Service has extended the deadline for preliminary comments on
the renewal of Alamogordo's Special Use Permits involving the La Luz/Fresnal
watershed system until December 7th, 2005.
It is recommended that all members submit a comment describing any damage
that may have been caused to their property or life style enjoyment by the
actions of the City's destruction of the following perennial stream
systems - The Crocker, Maruchi, La Luz, or Fresnal springs and streams. You
can simply state that your property or lifestyle enjoyment was diminished by
the City's actions - your stream has dried up, your well has suffered or
dried up, your springs have slowed or disappeared, wildlife you enjoyed have
disappeared, trees and plants have died, erosion has resulted from death of
local flora, fish no longer in streams, etc.
Please send your comments to mstokes@fs.fed.us <mailto:mstokes@fs.fed.us>
or to Frank Martinez, Sacramento District Ranger, PO Box 288, Cloudcroft NM
88317.
Also send a copy to smwrc@yahoo.com <mailto:smwrc@yahoo.com> or SMWRC, PO
Box 340, La Luz NM 88337-0340. This will assist us in knowing how effective
our efforts are. The SMWRC is also submitting an organizational comment but
we need each member to also send their comment and protect their standing in
this matter.
Please take a few minutes and draft a simple email or letter comment about
the changes you have experienced or seen since the City installed their
extensive collections system in 1997-98. This is a critical action item.
Thank you.
Rick Warnock
President
SMWRC
PO Box 340
La Luz, NM 88337-0340
rfwarnock@netmdc.com
1-505-434-9059
1-505-434-9055 FAX
www.smwrc.org
From RuidosoNews.com
Opinion
The Water Feature: Subdivision water studies should adhere to higher standard
Philip Bishop/Alto
Sep 29, 2005, 09:27 pm
A Sept. 16 article in the Ruidoso News by Dianne Stallings reported that State Engineer John D’Antonio believes that the county is empowered to require higher standards than the state engineer’s approval of a developer’s 40-year water supply forecast for a subdivision. This is an area that needs to be addressed further by both the county and the state engineer. Currently there are no requirements, rules or guidelines at either county or state level for estimating the degree of certainty or probability of occurrence associated with a 40-year forecast. A 40-year forecast without appropriate risk analysis can be very misleading and certainly not in the best public interest.
Higher standards in forecasting must start with basic fundamentals. The requirements for the groundwater study and 40-year forecast in the Lincoln County Subdivision Regu-lations leave too much discretion to developers and water consultants, and simply do not have enough bite. The results of this process are shortcuts in data acquisition and analysis and unsubstantiated assumptions that result in overly optimistic forecasts, which are biased in favor of developers in order to secure approval.
In order to improve the standards of forecasting the state engineer and county should borrow a few ideas from the petroleum industry. In the petroleum industry strict rules of classification govern the estimation of reserves and forecasting. This system is based on degree of proof, as described in the following two paragraphs.
“Proved” volumes or forecasts represent those quantities which by analysis of geological and engineering data can be estimated with high confidence to be recoverable from a given date forward. For “proved” classification there should be at least a 90-percent probability that the actual quantities produced will equal or exceed the estimate. In the petroleum business proved reserves estimates are used to secure financing and are reported in SEC filings. The geological and engineering procedures associated with the proved classification are too numerous to quote in this message, but are considerably more comprehensive than the groundwater study requirements of the Lincoln County Subdivision Regulations.
Unproved quantities are classified as “probable” or “possible” and are based on lower probabilities, ranging from 50 down to 10 percent. I would envision that the county and state engineer should apply “proved” criteria to decisions regarding water resource estimates for subdivisions since it would expose prospective purchasers to the least amount of risk and would be in the best public interest.
Why do I cite the petroleum business as an applicable standard? The scientific fundamentals for estimating in-place ground-water and petroleum resources and for forecasting the rates of production of such fluids from underground formations are very similar. Further, in virtually all of New Mexico, and especially in the Sacramento Mountains, it can be safely argued that water resources are over appropriated. These resources are indeed every bit as precious as petroleum. So why not apply more stringent criteria to the groundwater evaluations of subdivisions?
As an example, I recently had the opportunity to apply the petroleum classification concepts to the groundwater study of the proposed Lincoln Hills Subdivision and Golf Course, which is adjacent to Alto Lakes Golf and Country Club and within a short distance of Rainmakers. The developer’s water consultant had “confidently” concluded that the two wells in place would be able to supply water for the fully developed subdivision and golf course for 40 years. The term confident was not quantified.
Much different results emerged from my analysis. Only the first three years of the forecast met the criteria for “proved” or 90-percent probability classification. The next four years could be classified as “probable” or 50-percent probability, and the remainder of the forecast only met the “possible” or low certainty criteria. Clearly, this type of approach revealed considerable downsides in the developer’s forecast, and certainly would not provide a basis for approval of this subdivision and golf course.
Basically, the use of the petroleum classification system exposed the flaws in the developer’s groundwater study, i.e. insufficient duration of aquifer tests, lack of geophysical well log data, improper assumptions regarding the effects of complex geology on long term forecasting, and lack of recognition of competitive drainage effects. Serious questions have been raised about the ability of the two wells to deliver long term supply and the need for significant capital investment for additional future wells. At minimum the application should be returned to the developer for additional long-term aquifer testing, additional drilling or even reconfiguration of the development density and proposed water uses.
The proposed Lincoln Hills Subdivision and Golf Course water plan is currently under review by both Lincoln County and the state engineer.
The problem of needing to raise the standards of the groundwater studies and the 40-year projections is not unique to the proposed Lincoln Hills project or to Lincoln County. The language addressing groundwater studies in most New Mexico counties is very similar, inasmuch as most of this language was adopted pursuant to the 1973 New Mexico Subdivision Act. The population has doubled since the 1970s and we are depleting groundwater resources statewide. Insisting on higher standards in subdivision water studies is one of many important water problems that need to be addressed.
Philip Bishop of Alto Lakes and Dallas is a New Mexico licensed professional engineer who was employed as a water resource engineer at the New Mexico State Engineer’s Office in the 1970s. He has worked in the field of petroleum reservoir engineering for the past 25 years and currently is vice president of DeGolyer and Mac-Naughton, a worldwide petroleum consulting firm.
Copyright © 2004 Ruidoso News, a Gannett Co., Inc. newspaper.
New Mexico Active Water Resource Management Plan
A copy of the 49-page draft Active Water Resource Management plan is available on the web site of the Office of the State Engineer: www.ose.state.nm.us/ActiveWater. This document details the many ways in which the proposed plan will affect water rights and water availability for every citizen in the region.
WHAT IS THE SOUTH SACRAMENTO WATER GROUP?
The SSWG is a voluntary association with two representatives from each of ten communities: Cloudcroft, Cox Canyon, James Canyon, Lower Penasco, Mayhill/Upper Penasco, Pinon, Sacramento, Sixteen Springs, Timberon, and Weed. Our goal is to educate our member communities about water issues and to advocate for the highest quality and quantity possible for ourselves and the future. The SSWG meets at 6:00 p.m. the second Thursday of each month, usually at Camp Chimney Spring on Highway 82. Public attendance is welcome, and public input is solicited at each meeting.
Russell Wright
rewright@pvtnetworks.net
From KWES.net
Thursday, 8/25/2005
A growing population in the region brings a draft of new water regulations … under a proposed "active water resource management" program. The 49-pages of rules … for the lower Pecos River water district includes the new Hondo sub-district. That encompasses much of the eastern slopes of the Sacramento Mountains. State engineer John d-Antonio says the draft regulations spell out the duties of water masters … like the one hired for the Ruidoso, Bonito and Hondo rivers. Lincoln county officials say the state engineer’s office will lay out the proposal at a special county board meeting … set for the Hondo valley school … on September sixth. County board chair Rick Simpson bemoans the state engineer for snubbing earlier requests to answer questions. D-Antonio says that’s incorrect. The chair of the county’s water research committee … Jackie Powell … warns the rules could be a “train wreck sometime in the next ten years” for the Hondo valley. D-Antonio says the active water management plans seek to avoid problems in US Supreme court ordered Pecos river water deliveries to Texas.
From RuidosoNews.com
Our water mess: Trust me, I’m an engineer
Ben Mason/Guest Commentary
Apr 28, 2005
Streams are flowing, old springs running, and many of us are euphoric – relieved of anxiety about water. We shouldn’t be. Ruidoso’s water situation is an awful mess, the village is lurching from one crisis to another, and no other New Mexico community faces so many water problems.
The list includes unreliable and grossly inflated Eagle Creek water rights; a 1,000 acre-feet overdraft of its Rio Ruidoso Basin rights; potentially ruinous EPA penalties due to inattention to wastewater irregularities; the certainty of a costly upgrade of the wastewater unit; a widely derided and unacceptable water plan; an imminent lawsuit by the militant Forest Guardians – and all of it obscured by a poisonous culture of secrecy.
Our 40-Year Water Plan is little more than 80 pages of meticulously reasoned idiocy, and in the review by the Office of the State Engineer, nothing was spared: Available water supply and its sustainability need explanation; projected water demand wants recalculation; water audit needed; leak detection/repair program questioned; water conservation and drought management plan need additional effort. Statements regarding peak production capacity and sustainable well capacity are “troubling”; geological data on aquifers is lacking. The list of failures and inadequacies goes on for four pages. Read the review on ruidosoriver.com, the home page of the Ruidoso River Association.
3/30/2005
Dear SMWRC Members and Friends,
Although HB 326 did not pass, $200,000 was appropriated in the Capital Outlay bill for a hydrogeologic study of the Sacramento Mountains. We have long urged the need for such a study. Governor Richardson has until noon April 8 to sign the legislation. He could veto this line item. Please write to the Governor urging him to support Capital Outlay Project #6438 "Otero SWCD Sacramento Mtns Hydrogeologic Study." Two letters are attached. The longer one has already gone out to the governor. A shorter sample letter is attached for your use.
Thanks,
Russell and Elaine Wright
rewright@pvtnetworks.net
SMWRC
Dateline: Cloudcroft Village Council Meeting January 4, 2005
It was exciting to watch. About 100 people (many members of SMWRC) showed up at the Cloudcroft Village Council meeting to protest a $3 million Capital Outlay Request to the State of New Mexico. The request stated: "To supply James Canyon with a reliable source of water for approximately 25 small water systems and users by locating a source and constructing a regional system". The cover letter to the County Commission called for a pipeline from Mayhill to Cloudcroft.
By the end of the Village Council meeting the request had been re-worded to ask for $3 million to do research and gather data on the Sacramento Ranger District and the East slope of the Sacramento Mountains and begin a regional planning process. The consensus in the room was that the new request should receive full support from everyone in the mountains.
This change occurred for two reasons
1. People were at the meeting and shared their concerns.
2. The Cloudcroft Village Council was willing to listen.
Thanks to all of you who showed up to protect all of our rights and thanks to those Village Trustees who were willing to listen to their constituents and neighbors.
Russ and Elaine Wright
SMWRC East Slope Chapter
PS: You will soon be asked for a new letter campaign to your state legislators to support the "new" request!
KWES – KBUY Local News for Tuesday, December 07,
2004 (From KWES.net)
The Rio Hondo basin is now a water management area … and will see a water master undertake that job.
The state engineer signs an order … creating the Hondo basin sub-district of the Pecos River stream system. Jim Sizemore … with the water rights division of the office of state engineer … says ongoing drought conditions … some water conflicts … and the Pecos River compact with Texas … bring the water management scheme. He and district supervisor Art Mason field a flood of questions during a public meeting last night. Mason says priority rights will take the lead. The water master … to administer regulations … would come with an estimated 150-thousand dollar price tag. Mason says water users will have to pay for the master. That … and the possible expensive cost of water measuring equipment … doesn’t sit well with many irrigators along the Ruidoso .. Bonito .. And Hondo rivers. Officials say they’ll quickly begin to implement the state engineer’s order.
November 30, 2004
State Engineer Announces a Proposed New Water Subdistrict for the Rio Hondo
State Engineer Announces a Proposed New Water Subdistrict for the Rio Hondo (RUIDOSO, New Mexico) - New Mexico State Engineer John D'Antonio announced today that a public meeting will be held in Ruidoso on Monday, December 6, 2004 to discuss a proposed new water subdistrict to be created for the Rio Hondo region of New Mexico. In coming months, a declaration of a new water subdistrict for the Rio Peñasco region is expected to follow this action. The declaration of the special water subdistricts would give the State Engineer the authority to create a position and appoint a water master for the regions, who will be based in Roswell, New Mexico.
Water masters are people who actively administer water on a stream system in New Mexico. They monitor the diversion and use of the waters of a stream system on a daily basis, especially during irrigation season. "Water masters serve an important function for the Office of the State Engineer because they are our people in the field who can make sure that water is equitably distributed to water users in a particular area," said State Engineer John D'Antonio.
This action could be a solution to avoid conflict among area water users should the drought continue. It is part of the Active Water Resource Management (AWRM) initiative. AWRM refers to a broad range of activities, which include expediting the application transfer process, monitoring and metering diversions and limiting diversion of water to the amount authorized by existing water rights all within the prior appropriation system.
WHAT: Public Meeting on a Proposed New Subdistrict for the Rio Hondo
WHEN: December 6, 2004
WHERE: Ruidoso City Council Chambers 313 Cree Meadows Dr. Ruidoso, NM
WHEN: 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
For more information, contact: Karin Stangl, Public Information Officer (505) 827-6139
From RuidosoNews.com
Village lacks adequate water rights
By Dianne Stallings/Ruidoso News
Nov 30, 2004, 09:34 pm
Even if Ruidoso village officials buy up every water right in Hondo Valley, there won’t be enough wet water to accommodate projected growth, an advisor to the Lincoln County Commission warned.
Jackie Powell with the county Water Research and Tracking Committee reported to commissioners at their November meeting that by the end of September, the village was 60 acre feet in the red for a five-year accounting period, which equates to 19.5 million gallons.
“With their emergency transfers, they should take care of current problems,” she said. “But you can see by the small amounts of acre feet transferred (in a series of published transfer applications reviewed during the meeting), it’s really hard to find places that want to sell water. Those of us left, want to keep it. It’s going to get harder for the village and the city of Ruidoso Downs to find it, because it’s just not there.” More...
We would like you to participate in the Alamogordo Regional Water Supply Project Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) process. Public comments or questions can be e-mailed to almwater@swca.com or mailed to:
SWCA Environmental Consultants
Attention: Alamogordo Regional Water Supply Project
7001 Prospect Place NE Suite100
Albuquerque, NM 87110
What is the Alamogordo Regional Water Supply Project?
From SWCA.com/arwsp:
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Las Cruces Field Office and the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) are preparing an environmental impact statement (EIS) for the Alamogordo Regional Water Supply Project in Otero County, New Mexico. The City of Alamogordo, New Mexico (City) is sponsoring this project.
BLM, Reclamation, and the City have contracted with SWCA of Albuquerque, a qualified environmental consultant, to assist with the preparation of the EIS.
The current fresh water supply is not sufficient to meet both current and future water demands for the City of Alamogordo and the surrounding region. As a result, the need for the Project is to secure a sustainable fresh water resource for use by the City and the surrounding region.
The Project is proposed to help serve the water supply needs of the Alamogordo region by continuing to ensure water conservation within the City, and by treating saline water from the Tularosa Basin to meet drinking water standards.
Please refer to the Federal Register Notice for further information.
Public Participation
This project is scheduled for completion in about 18 months. During this period, there will be opportunities for the public to participate in the EIS process.
Informational mailings and progress notifications will be mailed to stakeholders and interested parties throughout the Project at key milestones to keep you informed of the progress of the Project.
Once the Draft EIS has been prepared, the document will be available for public review for a period of 45 days. During that 45-day period, public hearings will be conducted to accept comments on the draft document. Written comments will also be accepted during that period.
A letter from Rick Warnock re: Alamogordo’s proposed desal plant
Dear members,
I am attaching a public notice regarding the Public Scoping for an environmental impact study of the Alamogordo’s proposed desal plant north of Tularosa. An important item to note is that a meeting is not being held in Ruidoso. The SMWRC has stated repeatedly that the impact of this project could easily effect the water table in Ruidoso. The recent troubles of Cloudcroft point out the probable connection between large extractions of water at the base of the mountains and the mountain water tables. The SMWRC is preparing a written protest. These public meetings are more for individuals to voice their concerns. We encourage all our members to attend and simply voice the danger that large extractions of water might have extremely adverse consequences to the mountain water tables. The more individual complaints the better. Also, it should be recommended that Ruidoso residents be notified and given an opportunity to express their concerns.
I would also like to take this opportunity to ask for volunteers to help in the following areas. We do not anticipate that it will require more than a few hours per month. We are making progress but are in need of individuals who are willing to take a few hours to help us get our message out to the membership. We need the following:
- Those willing to help produce a quarterly newsletter to our members.
- Those willing to be a neighborhood coordinator – be willing to actively contact your immediate neighbors about updates, etc.
- Those with computer skills willing to help maintain our membership records.
- Those with computer skills willing to help maintain our web site.
Rick Warnock
President
SMWRC
PO Box 340
La Luz, NM 88337-0340
rfwarnock@netmdc.com
1-505-434-9059
1-505-434-9055 FAX
www.smwrc.org
Village of Ruidoso Comprehensive Planning Process
Ruidoso Comprehensive Plan Draft
Posted 9/21/04
The scenarios for the comprehensive plan were on display in Mid-Town. The current information is available at Village Hall or can be downloaded here as an Adobe pdf document. On 1/13/04 the preliminary information was posted to the Village web site: http://www.voruidoso.com/ComprehensivePlan.html)
Public input can be made at the P & Z meetings held on the first and third Tuesday each month at 2:00 P.M. The Village Council will be voting on the plan some time in the (near?) future.
Vision Statement is also available on-line at: Ruidoso.net
Ruidoso 40 Year Water Plan
I had the photo-copy I picked up at Village Hall ($15.00 fee) scanned and saved as an Adobe Acrobat document. The files are VERY large and will take several minutes to download even with a broadband connection. It is broken up into four sections:
WATERSHED RESTORATION ACTION STRATEGY (WRAS)
UPPER RIO HONDO
Prepared by:
The Upper Hondo Watershed Coalition
2nd Edition: April, 2004
Download as: Adobe PDF document
The principal author of this report is Richard H. Wisner, Chair of the Upper Hondo Watershed Coalition and Executive Director of the Ruidoso River Association
Dick Wisner
by
Ben Mason
Archival information:
WATER DESALINATION AND REUSE STRATEGIES FOR NEW MEXICO
49th Annual New Mexico Water Conference
September 21-22, 2004
Ruidoso Convention Center
Final Program
wrri.nmsu.edu/conf
(Some links at the conference web site are inaccessible however many will lead you to some valuable information.)
Watershed Management Workshop 2004 - III
WRAP COMMITTEE MEETING
Date: Monday, September 27, 2004
Thursday, August 19, 2004
The Village of Ruidoso exhausts all its basic water rights from the Rio Ruidoso for the coming twenty-seven months. It was just three weeks ago the message was Ruidoso should be okay with its Rio Ruidoso water rights. A resident had questioned the status … bringing a response from water systems assistant Frank Potter. He had said that “hopefully” basic rights on the Ruidoso River would hold. The revelation on the drained rights comes from the Lincoln county water research committee. Panel member Jackie Powell says the numbers … that run through June … show 23-hundred acre feet of river water rights are appropriated to Ruidoso … for the accounting period November 2001 … through October 2006. Powell says the numbers show just forty-four acre feet remained … at the end of June. The state engineer’s office says the village may already be over its river rights. Engineer office official Juan Hernandez says emergency activities are occurring. And village manager Lorri Mc-knight confirms … Ruidoso has used all its current basic rights … that run through October 2006. But she says grindstone reservoir has almost a year’s worth of water … Eagle Creek is showing some flows … and more Rio Ruidoso rights are being sought. Most of Ruidoso’s water rights are in the Eagle Creek watershed … but that source is producing below expected capacity. Mc-knight says there are credits that can be accrued … from Eagle Creek waters that end up in the Rio Ruidoso … after passing through the water system … treated at the sewage plant … and discharged to the Rio Ruidoso.
Tuesday, August 17, 2004
Two-and-a-half years in the making … Lincoln County gets a first look-over of a study of ground water in the region today. The results of mapping of the water resources in the Rio Bonito … Rio Ruidoso … and Rio Hondo … come from the US Geological Survey…. Who conducted the study. The nearly quarter-million dollar project was funding both by Lincoln county and the USGS. According to a county memorandum … the study involved compiling existing data … identifying known wells … measuring ground-water levels … identifying gaps … and writing a hydrologic atlas.
Ruidoso may add to its Rio Ruidoso water rights. A pair of filings with the state engineer’s office seeks to allow Ruidoso Downs racetrack water rights to be used by the village. The agreement would lease the rights for a ten year period. The transfers involve both surface … and groundwater rights. Irrigation and commercial waters are proposed for the temporary diversions of the water rights. Ruidoso has been leaning heavier on Rio Ruidoso basin waters because of reduced production from sources on the north side of the community.
From AlamogordoNews.com
Cloudcroft will haul in water starting Monday
By Michael Shinabery/Staff Writer
Aug 14, 2004, 05:09 pm
CLOUDCROFT - The village of Cloudcroft's water supplies are not in tip-top shape.
The top of the mountain's drying out, Village Administrator Michael Nivison said.
On Friday, village trustees and Otero County commissioners met in emergency session in Cloudcroft, and passed a joint resolution declaring a water crisis. That allows the State of New Mexico to haul in potable water for residents. Hauling begins Monday, and the state pays 75 percent of the cost. More...
KWES – KBUY Local News for Tuesday, July 27, 2004
Years of reduced precipitation … and increased well pumping … both municipal and domestic … have taken a toll on Ruidoso Downs water sources. That’s the report from Jim Riesterer … with a hydro-geologic firm hired by the city. He compares Griffith spring flows from a part of the fifties … with today. “there was a major drought in the 1950’s …. And we were seeing low (Griffith) spring flows then … which is very similar to now. It suggests to us that now it is probably drought related.” Delivering his preliminary report to city councilors last night … Riesterer recommends repairing and deepening the downs’ other water source … Denton well. He also suggests drilling an exploratory well to the bottom of the aquifer … and if successful … asking to make that a new tap point for the municipal system.
How has the Ruidoso water sale helped in ruidoso downs ? City public works director Ken Mosley says the “Redman tank” is full … at 35-feet. He says that’s a 31-foot depth improvement since last Thursday. The “spring tank” level is at 28-feet …. A twenty foot gain since last Thursday. Mosley thanks Ruidoso for allowing the Downs to purchase … up until now … 644-thousand gallons of water.
Applications are filed with the state engineer … that aim to move water rights into the city of Ruidoso Downs. Three transfers … from points beyond the city … would allow just over three-million new gallons to go into the municipal water system annually. While Ruidoso Downs has been adding to its water rights … actual water from existing sources … have dwindled in recent months. One of the proposals with some of the requested water rights transfers calls for supplemental ground-water by drilling a well approximately three-hundred feet deep.
KWES – KBUY Local News for Saturday, June 19, 2004
- Data is being compiled … formed into a Lincoln county water study. The hydrologic review … started in late 2001 … will give a peak at the Rio Ruidoso and Rio Bonito watersheds …. Says county manager Tom Stewart. A report is expected to be given to the county board of commissioners in august. Stewart says the nearly quarter-million dollar geological survey study was financed by the county … and USGS. When commissioned nearly three years ago … officials said they were looking for something that could help understand the groundwater resources in the area.
- Federal legislation to establish a water desalination project in the Tularosa basin moves into a US senate subcommittee. The measure would authorize a demonstration project beyond a project slated for groundbreaking later this month. The new plan would team the bureau of reclamation with Sandia and Los Alamos national labs …. To manage and operate the facility … says senate sponsor Pete Domenici. The plant would look for new .. Affordable technologies to produce drinking water from saline groundwater in the Tularosa basin.
From KWES Radio:
http://www.kwes.net/localnews.htm
There could be a major development in turning Bonito Lake water in the direction of Ruidoso. A state senate memorial calls on the interstate stream commission to investigate the possibility of using water from Bonito Lake to help the state in meeting its delivery obligations under the Pecos river compact. Simultaneously … the lake … owned by the City of Alamogordo … could provide a water supply to the Ruidoso area. In the memorial … Senator Pete Campos says the drought has demonstrated that the Ruidoso area’s ground-water supplies may be problematic … and Bonito Lake could be a solution. A pipeline delivers Bonito Lake water to Alamogordo. The memorial also asks the interstate stream commission to investigate Alamgordo's effort to desalinate brackish Tularosa basin ground-water … potentially freeing up Bonito Lake water. The possibility of general obligation bonds is suggested as a funding source for the alternative water supply effort. The measure is presently in the senate conservation committee. Lawmakers convene their thirty day session on Thursday.
Bill asks to use Bonito regionally.
Bonito water study bill passes Senate
Information on this Memorial is available at the NM Legislature's Web site.
SMWRC's Position on Alamogordo's RO Project north of Tularosa (Letter to the NM State Engineer)
Excerpt: The SMWRC would like to bring to your attention its concerns about the City of Alamogordo's proposed reverse osmosis desalination plant and well field north of Tularosa. We wish to start by emphatically stating that we are not against desalination by reverse osmosis. In fact the SMWRC supports RO desalination as a method of providing sustainable water.
The SMWRC is, however, concerned with three problems in the current project...
RE: Turning Bonito Lake water in the direction of Ruidoso
by Kerry Miyoshi, CPG, RPG, ENMU Geology Instructor
The information on Alamogordo going for brackish water is extremely incorrect!! Alamogordo is looking to put a large extraction facility at the mountain front, essentially dewatering the entire mountain area, similar to what they have done in La Luz/Fresnal. In doing so, Alamogordo with their "RO" plan will dewater areas including Nogal, Mescalero AND Ruidoso. Ruidoso's water problem will be increased, since you currently do not have a large extraction facility at the base of the mountains and remember that surface water is connected to groundwater - you cannot effect one without effecting the other. What will happen is all groundwater wells will fall dramatically and Bonito Lake will dry up. This terrible plan is what we are trying to stop.
Note: The VOR Atty. John Underwood has been in Santa Fe lobbying for this legislation!
Organizations:
Eagle Creek Conservation Association
Sacramento Mountains Watershed Restoration Corporation
Local area on-line news resources:
KEDU-LP 102.3 FM (an independent, publicly owned, community radio station)
www.kedu.us
Ruidoso News
www.ruidosonews.com
KWES / KBUY
www.kwes.net
Alamogordo Daily News
www.alamogordonews.com
Mountain Monthly
www.mountainmonthly.com
Mountain Times
www.mountaintimes.net
For questions, comments or submittals c
