Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
The Arch Hurley Conservancy District board of directors didn’t allocate any water during its regular meeting last week, and it couldn’t even if it wanted to.
The district will need three to four weeks to repair damage to its irrigation canals after the May 25-26 storms brought hail and flooding to the region.
But the district’s manager and president signaled optimism it could allocate water to farmers as soon as its next meeting in July, or sooner if members call a special meeting.
District manager Franklin McCasland said in his report during the board’s June 13 meeting the maintenance department had repaired storm damage to the canal from Conchas Lake to Check 25.
Workers still are repairing the Hudson Canal where stormwater overflowed and caused washouts and road damage. Another washout was reported near Tucumcari Mountain, he said.
“Both crews are working overtime to repair and get ready for the delivery of irrigation water,” he stated in his report.
Though Conchas Lake’s elevation that morning was near 4,174 feet — where the district begins contemplating the release of water — board members and many area farmers said it should wait.
“We’ve had eight inches of rain,” board President Robert Lopez said. “Nobody’s hurting for moisture right now.”
“I’ve had numerous calls to hold off” on releasing water, board member Larry Perkins said.
McCasland said his crews have told him it would take three to four weeks to prepare the canals.
“We’re still trying to repair the storm damage,” he said, adding the district could call a special meeting to allocate water if lake levels remained high enough and the canals were ready.
McCasland said two unit homes, a shop and the district office also sustained hail and flooding damage.
On the day of the meeting, Conchas Lake’s elevation was 4,173.9 feet — an increase of more than 11 feet from a month ago and almost 14 feet higher than a year ago. The May 25-26 storms caused water levels to rise 6 1/2 feet in 48 hours.
McCasland reported the lake received over 40,000 acre-feet of water during May, with just 2,186 acre-feet of evaporation and other losses in the month.
After the meeting, Lopez said he believed it was the most water to flow into the lake since the fall of 2019.
Though drought conditions have eased, the eastern third of New Mexico remained in severe, moderate or abnormally dry conditions, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor map of June 15.
In other business:
— Lopez said he’d been approached about the district possibly hiring a lobbyist or grant writer, noting the Village of Logan had retained a lobbyist and Quay County likely would share the cost of the same firm.
Board members noted a grant writer might find funds to line canals or even build a pipeline for the irrigation system. A university study estimated lined canals would save the district about 12,000 acre-feet of water.
Board members also discussed how they have changed their approach on allocating water after long droughts began during the early 2000s.
“We can’t do, ‘Well, that’s the way we’ve always done it,’” Lopez said. “That’s how we got into trouble.”
— The board approved the fiscal-year 2022 audit by Dan Austin CPA of Ruidoso after hearing his review of the report via teleconference. The audit was accepted by the state auditor’s office.
The district received an unmodified audit report, which is the best available. The report contained only one finding, which regarded the purchase of annuities.
— The board approved a resolution issuing a legal notice for its elections. The board will call an election for Precincts 1, 2 and 3 on Oct. 10, with early voting from Sept. 19 through Oct. 6.
— McCasland introduced the district’s new ditch riders, Cameron Meier and Malikiah Marquez.