Irrigation district votes to not allocate water

The Arch Hurley Conservancy District board of trustees last week voted not to allocate water, which means local farmers and ranchers likely won’t receive any more until at least spring due to freezing weather fast approaching.

Board member Larry Perkins said he’d received a few calls requesting more water, “but not enough to allocate more.”

Board President Robert Lopez said by shutting off the canals now, he said farmers would be more likely to receive “a nice charge” of water in the spring.

The board in July allocated 3 inches of water per acre — its first allocation in more than three years due to drought. The allocation, which occurred after heavy rains in May, was less than normal because it was past the growing season for cotton and corn.

District manager Franklin McCasland said because of small allocations this summer, the efficiency of the canals was “not good.”

He estimated the district’s earthen canals lost 80% of the water in them due to absorption or evaporation.

McCasland said after the Oct. 10 meeting the canals might reach 50% efficiency during a more normal year of more water allocated and a lengthy period of rainfall.

During his monthly manager’s report, McCasland said Conchas Lake’s elevation that morning stood at 4,173.9 feet, more than 10 feet higher than the same time a year ago.

He said the lake during September received 2,695 acre-feet of inflow, with 2,949 acre-feet of evaporation and other losses.

He said a total of 3,564 acre-feet of water was diverted into the district’s canals in August.

According to the U.S. Drought Monitor map of Oct. 10, almost all of New Mexico remains in dry conditions, especially in the south and northwest.

In other business, the board approved a capital-outlay request for a mini-excavator.

McCasland said such excavators are used “a lot” by district employees. The district’s current John Deere model has more than 3,000 hours of use and tends to overheat during the summer.

McCasland said a new John Deere mini-excavator would cost between $60,000 and $80,000.

The New Mexico Legislature is due to consider capital-outlay requests during its 30-day session that begins in January.