Arch Hurley again votes to not allocate water

The Arch Hurley Conservancy District again voted last week to not allocate water to its irrigation system, despite a steady increase in Conchas Lake levels in recent months.

District manager Franklin McCasland reported during the board’s Sept. 14 meeting the lake’s elevation had risen to 4,163.2 feet — nearly identical to the 4,163.5 feet recorded a year ago.

McCasland reported that Conchas Lake had received 7,107 acre-feet of inflow in August, with only 2,355 acre-feet of evaporation and other losses.

The lake’s level has risen four feet since April. The district conceivably can discharge water once levels reach 4,162 feet, though McCasland said during an earlier meeting he wasn’t comfortable recommending that until it reaches 4,174 feet.

This year is the first since 2017 that no water was allocated to area farmers during growing season.

According to the U.S. Drought Monitor map, most of Quay County was experiencing abnormally dry conditions as of Sept. 16. The southeast and most of the eastern part of the county no longer were in a drought.

Much of New Mexico remains in a drought, especially the northwest, north-central and southwest regions that remained in an exceptional drought.

The Arch Hurley board last year allocated four inches per acre of irrigation water during the growing season.

In other business:

• The board voted to buy a $79,000 Bobcat compact track loader. The board considered another bid of $76,000 for a John Deere model, but members noted the Bobcat had more features. A total of $75,000 of that cost will be covered by a state capital-outlay allocation.

• McCasland said new liens would be issued against eight delinquent accounts. He said those account holders would be sent a letter in the coming weeks informing them of the liens.

• McCasland passed along a letter from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation that stated irrigation water cannot be used to grow medical or recreational marijuana “in any form.” The state legislature earlier this year legalized recreational marijuana, which is scheduled to be sold in New Mexico by early next year.

• McCasland noted the COVID-19 pandemic hit Arch Hurley employees and their families “the worst it ever had” in August.