Hydrogeology, water resources, and water budget of the upper Rio Hondo Basin, Lincoln County, New Mexico, 2010

Abstract

Report 2014-5153, 72 p., http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20145153. For more information on the USGS-the Federal source for science about the Earth, its natural and living resources, natural hazards, and the environment, visit http://www.usgs.gov or call 1-888-ASK-USGS.For an overview of USGS information products, including maps, imagery, and publications, visit http://www.usgs.gov/pubprodTo order this and other USGS information products, visit http://store.usgs.gov Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.Although this information product, for the most part, is in the public domain, it also may contain copyrighted materials as noted in the text. Permission to reproduce copyrighted items must be secured from the copyright owner. AcknowledgementsThe authors of this report appreciate the work performed by Dave Lutz, Leeanna Torres, and Matt Gebhardt of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to collect hydrologic data in the upper Rio Hondo Basin over the past several years. Discussions with Geoffrey Rawling and Talon Newton of the New Mexico Bureau of Geology were very helpful. The authors also wish to thank the residents of Lincoln County for allowing the USGS to access their properties and gage their wells, for their courteousness, and for sharing their many insights and observations. A special thanks is offered to Jack Veenhuis, whose collaborative work with the New Mexico Office of the State Engineer has provided invaluable insight into gaining and losing stream reaches in the study area. Finally, appreciation is expressed to the Lincoln County Commissioners who have generously supported this study over the years. AbstractThe upper Rio Hondo Basin occupies a drainage area of 585 square miles in south-central New Mexico and comprises three general hydrogeologic terranes: the higher elevation "Mountain Block," the "Central Basin" piedmont area, and the lower elevation "Hondo Slope." As many as 12 hydrostratigraphic units serve as aquifers locally and form a continuous aquifer on the regional scale. Streams and aquifers in the basin are closely interconnected, with numerous gaining and losing stream reaches across the study area. In general, the aquifers are characterized by low storage capacity and respond to short-term and long-term variations in recharge with marked water-level fluctuations on short (days to months) and long (decadal) time scales. Droughts and local groundwater withdrawals have caused marked water-table declines in some areas, whereas periodically heavy monsoons and snowmelt events have rapidly recharged aquifers in some areas.A regional-scale conceptual water budget was developed for the study area in order to gain a basic understanding of the magnitude of the various components of input, output, and change in storage. The primary input is watershed yield from the Mountain Block terrane, supplying about 38,200 to 42,300 acre-feet per year (acre-ft/ yr) to the basin, as estimated by comparing the residual o...