Water resources management plan, Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument, New Mexico

86 Pages·1997·4.1 MB·English

by  National Park Service, WRD

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METRIC CONVERSIONS
Multiply this Unit by To Obtain
acres 0.405 hectares (ha)
inches 2.54 centimeters (cm)
inches 25.4 millimeters (mm)
meters 3.28 feet
miles 1.61 kilometers
cubic feet 0.028 cubic meters
cubic meters 35.3 cubic feet
square miles 2.59 square kilometers
square kilometers 1000 hectares
acre-feet 1233 cubic meters
cubic meters per second 35.3 cubic feet per second
cubic feet per second 0.028 cubic meters per second
\VATEJ2. E.^5^UE.CL5 MANAq'E.ME.NT PLAN
6ALINA5 PUE.E>L^ M&SWlf)
National m^Num^Nt
Prepared by
National Park Service
Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument
Mountainair, New Mexico
and
Natural Resource Program
Southwest SupportOffice
Santa Fe, New Mexico
in cooperation with
National Park Service
Water Resources Division
Fort Collins, Colorado
Approved b ¥-J-f7
Superintendent," Date/
Salinas Pueblo Mission's National Monument
997
Digitized by the Internet Archive
in 2012 with funding from
LYRASIS Members and Sloan Foundation
http://archive.org/details/waterresourcesmaOOnati
3 3 9 776 53 4
METRIC CONVERSIONS
/ ii
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY/v
INTRODUCTION
/ 1
1- Introduction/ 1
2- Purpose ofthe Report/ 1
GEOGRAPHY OF THE ESTANCIAAND SALINAS AREA/ 3
1- Physical Location ofthe Units/
2- Land Use/
3- General Geology, Soils and Vegetation/ 3
4- General Hydrology and Climate/4
THE ABO RESOURCE UNIT/9
1- Canon Espinoso Watershed Overview/9
2- Climate, Geology and Hydrogeology/9
3- Vegetation/ 1
4- Soils, Erosion and Sediment/ 13
5- Watershed ManagementActivities/ 1
6- Surface Runoffand Flooding/ 1
7- Water Yield Speculations/ 1
8- Historic WaterVolumes/ 1
9- Ground Water and Wells/ 1
10- Water Quality, Water Supply and Well Water Rights/ 1i
1 1- Some Data Needs/ 1
THE QUARAI RESOURCE UNIT/ 21
1- Canon Sapato Watershed Overview/ 21
2- Climate, Geology and Geomorphology/ 21
3- Vegetation/ 22
4- Soils, Erosion and Sediment/ 26
5- Surface Runoff, Arroyo Flow and Flooding/ 26
6- Aquatic Biology and the Wetlands/ 27
7- Hydrogeology and Springs/ 27
8- Ground Water and Wells/ 28
9- Water Quality and Supply/ 29
10- The Acequia/29
1 1- Wetlands and Acequias/ 31
2
.. 1
THE GRAN QUIVIRA UNIT/ 33
1- Gran Quivira Overview/ 33
2- Climate, Geology and Hydrogeology/ 33
3- Vegetation and Soils/ 33
4- Ground Water, Wells and Ground-Water Quality/ 34
5- Water Supply and Quality atthe Unit/ 35
6- Water Rights/ 35
7- Historic or Pre-Historic Water Supplies/ 35
RECOMMENDATIONS/ 38
BIBLIOGRAPHY/ 41
PREPARERS AND ACKNOWLEDGMENTS/45
APPLNPICX5
APPENDIX A: Proposed Water Resource-Related Project Statements/46
APPENDIX B: SomeWater Resource Contacts/ 57
APPENDIX C: State WaterQuality Standards/ 59
APPENDIX D: Water Quality Data from Whitworth/ 61
APPENDIX E: Water Quality Data from STORET/ 67
APPENDIX F: Water Quality Data from the Public Health Service/ 74
LIST Of P<hUR£.6
1 Overview map ofthe broader Salinas geographic area/ 2
2. Map ofthe general geology for the monument area/ 6
3. Map ofthe general soils for the monument area/ 7
4. Precipitation graphs ofMountainair and Gran Quivira/8
5. Map ofthe entire Canon Espinoso watershed above the Abo Unit/ 1
6. Map ofthe soils and aquifers ofthe Canon Espinoso/ 1
7. Map ofwatershed features within the Abo Unit's boundary/ 1
8. Map ofthe Canon Sapato watershed above Punta de Agua /23
9. Map ofsoils in the Canon Sapato watershed/ 24
10. Map ofQuarai Unit's acequias and otherwaterfeatures/25
1 1 Map ofthe geographic features at the Gran Quivira Unit/ 36
12. Map of soils at the Gran Quivira Unit/37
IV
lxlojtiVe. ^umma^Y
Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument Espinoso watershed, with the highest extremity of
consistsofthree non-contiguous resource units with this arroyo 11.8 miles upstream. This arroyo (or
their headquarters located in Mountainair, New stream) exhibits a permanent, but often small
Mexico. This Water Resources Management Plan discharge. At places the Canon Espinoso's flow
provides an overview ofthe watersheds and water goes underground ~a pattern typical for arroyos in
resources at these three units, interprets available the area, according to geologists.
water resource information, notes some key sources
ofexpertise, identifieswater resource concerns and Stoney, shallow soils in the upper Canon Espinoso
lists some data and information needs. A summary watershed convert a high percentage of storm
of technical recommendations and four specific rainfall into surface runoff, producing high storm
"ProjectStatements" (proposalsforprojects) arethen discharges in the main arroyo ofthe Abo Unit.
provided.
The Corps of Engineers predicted the theoretical
The main focus ofthe report is on the 295 acre Abo storm surface runoff at the bottom edge of the
Unitandthe99.6 acreQuarai Unit,which lie in the Quarai Unit at 77 cubic feetpersecond for a 2-year
foothillsofthe Manzano Mountainsand are thetwo event and 1,480 cfs for a 100-year event.
sites where permanent surface waters occur. The
third unit, Gran Quivira, comprises 61 1 acres on a Flood risks at the Abo or Quarai Units do not
hilltop and contains no streams or springs. appear extreme according to flood plain
delineations by the Corps of Engineers, since their
Precipitation at the Salinas Headquarters averages floodplain maps showthe ruins and other buildings
14.8 inches per year, much of it occurring during above the 100-year flood line.
the summerthunderstorm period. No majorstreams
occur in this part of New Mexico, and most streams The Sisneros Family spring, in the inhording ofthe
or arroyos flow only after downpours during the Abo Unit, has met domestic and garden irrigation
summer storm season or during snowmelt periods. needs dependably over the centuries, even during
droughts. The geologic formations below the Abo
Springs are scattered in the Manzano Mountains Unit also offer a good potential for deeper well
and foothills above the Quarai and Abo Units, but development at the Unit —something which is
most of these springs are intermittent. However, recommended in one ofthe Project Statements.
both ofthese units have permanent springs within
theirboundaries. Groundwater inthe area typically It is estimated that the main arroyo at Abo yields
is hard and in cases wells are high in sulfur; about 1070 acre feet of water annually in surface
whereas, spring waters tend to be from more flow, oran averageflow ofabout 1.5 cubic feet per
shallow aquifers and generally not as mineralized. second.
No actual surface hydrologic data exist forthe Abo The 20.1 square mile Canon Espinosowatershed, in
and Quarai Units, and specific information on which the Abo Unit lies, theoretically yields about
stream aquatic biology likewise is lacking. Some 13 acrefeet ofsediment annually, i.e., the sediment
information does exist on ground-water levels in passing through the Abo unit in an "average year"
the area. This report extrapolates from existing based on erosion and sediment yield estimations.
information in the area to provide a general
characterization of water and sediment yields for The main arroyo in theAbo Unit is mostlycutdown
the two units. A Project Statement focuses on the to bedrock, providing stability ofthe channel. Some
need for hydrologic information. sheetand gullyerosion is active in the northwestern
part of the Abo Unit, which is in an area where
The largest arroyo cutting through the Abo Unit is arroyos originate about 4 miles upstream and can
the main stem of the 20.1 square mile Canon produce strong flows. Earlier, grazing may have
caused erosion in the Unit, butcattlewere removed summer precipitation is not lost to the high
about three years ago, and vegetation therefore is evapotranspiration of the area becomes ground-
making a comeback. waterrecharge and percolates down into sink holes,
crevices and solution channels. Soils are subject to
Saltcedar (Tamariskpentandra) has been invading erosion from the dry winds and from occasional
some stream areas throughoutthe Canon Espinoso pounding by thunderstorms, so small rills and
watershed and within the Abo Unit, and the park gullies appearthroughoutthe unit -although many
continues tofight these exotic plants by cutting and of these cuts appear to be down to harder rock.
focused herbicide use. The unit has a deep well which supplies a
dependable and safe, although mineralized, water.
Information is needed on the aquatic biology for
both the Abo and Quarai Units, especially for the
latter, and one ofthe four Project Statements aims
at this topic.
The springs ofthe Quarai Unit produce a small but
dependableflowthat supports an estimated 5 acres
ofcritical riparian orwetland vegetation within the
Unit aswell as another estimated 2 acres on private
land downstream from the Unit's boundary. These
wetlands serve as critical habitat for birds and
wildlife.
The Quarai springs together yield an estimated 45
acrefeetofwater annuallyor averaging about 0.06
cubic feet per second or 28 gallons per minute. The
springs' water is pH-neutral, of modest hardness,
with low metals and good clarity. A safe drinking
water for the Unit comes from a 90-foot deep,
drilled well located just north ofthe visitor center.
The main arroyo in the Quarai Unit forms a ravine
about 500 feet long, at places over 20 feet deep.
Exceptforsome minor bank sloughing at spots, the
ravine is stable and contains old trees and a well-
established vegetation.
An old acequia (irrigation ditch) operated at the
Quarai Unit until 1972, with its intake point about
100feetabovethe presentdownstream boundaryof
the Unit. Some local villagers would like to
rehabilitate this acequia; however, the water rights
issuesforthis ancientwater use are at best complex
and clearly in need of legal analysis (and the topic
ofa Project Statement in this report). Rehabilitation
ofthe acequia potentially could affect the wetlands
in the area, raising the issue ofwetland protection.
The Gran Quivira Unit receives as much
precipitation as the othertwo units, butcontains no
surfacewaters. The land surface around this Unit is
characterized by scattered, "karst" sink holes. What
VI
iNTE^pucti^N
1- INTRODUCTION 2- PURPOSE OF THE REPORT
Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument Water is a significant resource in many units ofthe
consists of three noncontiguous resource units — National Park System and a particularly important
Abo, Quarai and Gran Quivira — with a facetofmanagement in all units ofthe arid parts of
headquarters at Mountainair, New Mexico. The the West. Water access, droughts, erosion and
monument was established to preserve ruins of conflicts overwater have always shaped history in
prehistoric Indian pueblos and associated Spanish arid zones; therefore, an understanding of water
Franciscan mission ruins from the Seventeenth resources is essential for interpreting cultural and
Century. The prehistoryofthe area extends backfor historic features in national monuments in the
more than 10,000 years (Salinas National Southwest.
Monument, 1984). The name Salinas relates to the
monument's location inwhatwasknown in Spanish Water resources ofcourse also play a key role in a
Colonial times as the Salinas Jurisdiction, because park's overall operation, for assuring an adequate
of the salt lakes (salinas) found in the area. Salt watersupply, managingwaste disposal and in terms
played an important role in the earlysettlement and ofaquatic ecosystems. Water rights issues alsotend
trade ofthe region. to be a preoccupation in arid areas. A knowledge of
water resources therefore is one of the tools for
The monument headquarters are located in the planning and operating a park unit.
small town ofMountainair, NM, about 85 highway
miles south of Santa Fe in the Estancia Basin. The This report provides an overview ofthe watersheds
monument's three resource units lie within a 15 to and water resources at the Salinas Pueblo Missions
25 minute drivefrom the headquarters. Mostofthe National Monument's three units, interprets
Estancia Basin lies in Torrance County. The town of available information on the watersheds, identifies
Estancia—the county seat— is located in the central, some water-resource related issues, points out
mainly agricultural, part ofthe basin known as the certain data and management needs and provides
Estancia Valley (Figure 1). recommendations about addressing the concerns
identified.
A list of information sources and experts also is
included in Appendix B, to provide the park with
contact points for followup on the water resource
issues raised.
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Figure 1 The Estancia Basin area, showingthe Salinas PuebloMissions National Monument and location ofitsAbo,
Quarai and Gran Quivira Units. The Park Superintendent's Office is in thetown ofMountainair. A majorgeographic
feature isthe Manzano Mountains, which riseto about 10,000feetwestoftheAbo and Quarai Units.
(Map from General Management Plan, Salinas NM, National Park Service, 1984)
2