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Table of Contents Page

A. Title Page 1 B. Letter of Transmittal 2 C. Table of Contents 3 D. Tables and Attachments 4 E. Authority 5 F. Statement 6 G. Active Water Resource Management (AWRM) 7 H. Gallinas River Basin Location Map 8 I. Snapshot of 2019 9 J. Supply, Storage and Usage 10

a. Duty of Water 10 b. Live Storage 10 c. Supply and Demand Synopsis 11 d. Wesner Springs Snowpack 13 e. Gallinas River Basin Annual Precipitation 14 f. Upper Reach Deliveries 16 g. Middle Reach Deliveries 17 h. Lower Reach Deliveries 21

K. Water Master Oversight 23 a. Special Investigations 23 b. Measurement and Infrastructure 23 c. Gallinas River Voluntary Rotation Schedule 26

L. Summary 27 M. Attachments 28

          

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Tables

Page Figure 1 Gallinas River Basin Location Map 8 Figure 2 Live Storage Capacities 11 Figure 3 USGS Gages 12

Figure 4 NOAA SNOTEL Monthly Snowpack Averages 13 Figure 5 NOAA Annual Precipitation 14 Figure 6 Gallinas River Diversion Summary 15 Figure 7 Upper Reach Gallinas River Water Users Area Map 16 Figure 8 Middle Reach Gallinas River Users Area map 17 Figure 9 Lower Gallinas Water Users Area Map 21    

Attachments

Page A. 2019 Voluntary Rotation Schedule 28-33 B. Order on Project Diversion Requirements 34-37  

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Authority 72-3-1 NMSA (1978). Water Districts; Creation; Change; Sub-Districts. This statute

provides the state engineer with the authority to designate water districts within the state of New Mexico for the satisfactory apportionment of water.

72-3-2 NMSA (1978). Water Masters; Appointment; Removal; Duties. This statute provides

the state engineer with the authority to apportion the waters of the Gallinas River through the appointment of a water master.

19.25.13 NMAC (December, 2005). Active Water Resource Management. This

administrative regulation describes the general authority and specific duties of an appointed water master, including active management and prior appropriative apportionment of Gallinas River waters from the source to the headgate.

19.26.11 NMAC (August, 2003). Declaration of the Gallinas Water Sub-District of the

Pecos River Stream System. This administrative regulation establishes the Gallinas River Sub-District, and appoints a water master to administer the waters of the river.

5th New Mexico District Court. Order on Project Diversion Requirements (April, 2014).

This judicial order resolves all disputed Project Diversion Requirement (PDR) and maximum diversion concerns by setting the off-farm conveyance efficiency factor (OFCE) for ditches at 65% and the PDR at 3.077 acre-feet per acre per year. This order has been stipulated by the Office of the State Engineer (OSE), the United States, and all affected Gallinas River stakeholders.

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Statement This Water Master Report is in accordance with requirements established in 19.25.13.26 NMAC:

Annually, the water master shall submit a report including a record of total diversions and deliveries of direct flow water and storage water, as applicable, a statement of expenditures, a list of infrastructure and metering improvements needed or performed, problems encountered, and any other pertinent issues or aspects of administration. The report shall also address the amount of water needed to supply the water master district, the amount available, the works which are without their proper supply, the supply required during the period preceding the water master’s next regular report and such other information as the state engineer may require. The report shall be submitted to the state engineer and be publicly available for inspection and copying at the requestor’s expense. [19.25.13.26 NMAC – N, 12/30/2004]

This report summarizes activities for the 2019 water year on the Gallinas River and is for informational purposes only. This report does not suggest, validate or establish a water right and is not binding on the State of New Mexico or the State Engineer in any adjudication or administrative proceeding.

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Active Water Resource Management (AWRM)

The Gallinas River Basin is one of seven priority basins in New Mexico that was recognized by the Active Water Resource Management (AWRM) initiative launched by the State Engineer in 2004 in response to continued drought conditions throughout the state. AWRM refers to the essential tools and elements needed to enable the State Engineer to actively manage the state’s limited water resources. One of these tools includes the use of metering stations located within the infrastructure of New Mexico’s vast system of acequias to help manage the use of available water in a fair, consistent and measurable manner. Another key tool with AWRM is the appointment of Water Master(s) to each priority basin. The Water Master(s) appointed to each basin are tasked with maintaining these metering stations and managing the equitable distribution of the water. The State Engineer also uses other tools to assist in AWRM, such as the use of shortage sharing and rotation agreements amongst users in a basin. The Gallinas River Basin is no exception and has been successfully using rotation agreements (Attachment A) among users for many years. Successful implementation of AWRM policy and procedure are critical components for equitable distribution of water and shortage sharing of diminishing water supplies due to persistent drought conditions in our state.

Acequia Madre de Los Romeros

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Figure 1

The Gallinas River Basin (Figure 1) is located in north-central New Mexico. The drainage basin of the Gallinas River and its tributaries contains approximately 610 square miles. The Gallinas River head waters are located on the eastern slopes of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, at an elevation of approximately 11,660 feet. From its headwaters, the river traverses southeasterly approximately 85 miles and enters the Pecos River six miles upstream of the Village of Colonias. The City of Las Vegas (COLV) is located in the north-central part of the drainage basin. The Gallinas River has no major perennial tributaries. The larger tributaries are Porvenir Canyon, Trout Springs, Cañon Bonito, Pecos Arroyo, and Aguilar Creek.

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Snapshot of 2019

The irrigation season in 2019 proved to be a stark contrast from 2018 when the Gallinas River went completely dry during several summer months and irrigators felt the wrath of a severe drought in the Southwestern United States. The spring runoff on the Gallinas River was plentiful in 2019 and provided adequate flow to begin the irrigation season on April 1. The sustained river flow remained above 20 cubic-feet per second (cfs) until the middle of June. On June 22, 2019, the sustained flow in the river fell below 15 cfs and the Gallinas River Voluntary Rotation Schedule (Attachment A) was implemented by the water master. The monsoon season typically begins in this portion of the state around late July or early August. In 2019 the precipitation around the Gallinas River and the watershed was modest with little to no accumulating rainfalls (Figure 5) and irrigators witnessed a disappointing monsoon season in the latter part of the irrigation season when they needed water. However, even with the lower flows in the latter months of the season, most of the area acequias experienced healthy diversions of water from the river. In a couple of cases, the acequia’s diversions in the middle reach of the river were far in excess of their adjudicated limits. COLV experienced some difficulty during COLV’s peak usage time in the summer months, due to a scheduled rehabilitation of its five million gallon treated water storage tank. The lack of stored treated water, combined with a shortage of supply on the Gallinas River, made continued supply for the residents of Las Vegas a challenge. The water master worked closely with COLV to assure their demand continued to be met. COLV completed renovations and rehabilitation on Bradner Dam in 2019. The Office of the State Engineer Dam Safety Bureau (OSE DSB) inspected the completed dam and associated works and issued a refill plan agreed to by the State and COLV. COLV began filling Bradner Reservoir in late 2019, primarily by using its stored water from Storrie Lake combined with some Gallinas River water. COLV informed the OSE that Bradner Reservoir may be ready for use by COLV in 2020. The river provided a substantial quantity of water to the Storrie Project Water Users Association (SPWUA) in 2019. The added flow in the river from a healthy winter snowpack in the watershed brought the level of the lake close to its limit in the spring and early summer of 2019 (Figure 2). Overall, 2019 proved to be a productive and relatively good year for water users on the Gallinas River.

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Supply, Storage and Usage

This section of the 2019 Gallinas Water Master Annual Report is a detailed outline of the total usage by all stakeholders from the river within their individual reaches. The 2019 Gallinas River irrigation season ran from April 1 to October 31. The 2019 Irrigation Season Summary table (Figure 6) and this section are a complete summary of the Gallinas River Basin usage recorded by the OSE during the 2019 irrigation season. The water master monitored river flows in the middle and lower reaches of the river and made modifications using the OSE-operated river gate based upon user needs and observations. Water usage was recorded by the OSE with various types of measurement stations on many of the acequias, COLV, SPWUA, and the river gate at the SPWUA diversion. The flow on the river was measured by the USGS gages at Montezuma #08380500, Lourdes #08382000 and Colonias #08382500 (Figure 3). In addition to the USGS gages, an OSE operated measurement station located upstream of the confluence of the Pecos Arroyo and the Las Vegas Waste Water Treatment Plant (LVWWTP) is used by the water master to measure the amount of water leaving the middle reach of the Gallinas River. This combined information is used daily by the water master to assist in the administration of the water on the river.

Duty of Water

The consumptive irrigation requirement (CIR), farm delivery requirement (FDR) and project delivery requirement (PDR) of water used for the Gallinas River for distribution to all of its stakeholders for multiple purposes are established and defined by Fifth Judicial District Court Order Nos. 20294 & 22600 Consolidated, for the Final Judgment and Decree of Water Rights for the Gallinas River Section. The CIR for stakeholders diverting from the river is 1.0 acre foot per acre per annum (af/ac/an). The FDR, based on a CIR of 50%, is 2.0 af/ac/an delivered at the farm headgate. The PDR, based on an off-farm conveyance efficiency (OFCE) of 65%, is 3.077 af/ac/an. The Court Order for the Gallinas River PDR is attached (Attachment B). All acequias diverting from the river, with the exception of river pumpers, are subject to the PDR.

The CIR, FDR and PDR of water used from Storrie Lake for distribution to all SPWUA stakeholders for multiple purposes are established and defined by Fifth Judicial District Court Order Nos. 20294 & 22600 Consolidated, for the Final Judgment and Decree of Water Rights for the Gallinas River Section. The CIR for stakeholders diverting from Storrie Lake is 1.0 af/ac/an. The FDR, based on a CIR of 50%, is 2.0 af/ac/an delivered at the farm headgate. The PDR, based on an OFCE of 70%, is 2.86 af/ac/an.

Live Storage

SPWUA – The total live storage (Figure 2) amount reported by SPWUA Storrie Lake on December 31, 2019 was 14,278 af. The remaining amount of available stored water in Storrie Lake for use by SPWUA is 5,169 af. SPWUA received a total delivery of 10,695 af during 2019. SPWUA’s total storage combined with COLV’s total storage in Storrie Lake may not exceed 21,747 af.

The City of Las Vegas - COLV continued to use Peterson Reservoir as its primary live storage (Figure 2) until August 2019 when COLV began filling Bradner Reservoir. COLV’s average storage amount in Peterson Reservoir during 2019 was 171.517 af. COLV manages permitted storage in Storrie Lake under OSE Permit No. SP-341. COLV’s total amount of stored water in Storrie Lake on December 31, 2019 was 355 af (Figure 2). Bradner Reservoir was approved by

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the OSE DSB in July 2019. An approved refill plan, agreed upon by the OSE and COLV, allowed COLV to begin filling Bradner at marked intervals, in August 2019. COLV informed the water master they expect to have the reservoir completely filled and ready for use in 2020. The total storage in Bradner on December 31, 2019, was 202 af. COLV’s combined raw water storage in all three reservoirs totaled 735 af on December 31, 2019.

Figure 2

Supply and Demand Synopsis

Administration of water by the water master in the Gallinas River Basin depends heavily upon information obtained from three USGS gauges on the river. The first gage is located in Montezuma, N.M above the adjudicated point of diversion for COLV. The Montezuma Gage #08380500 (Figure 3) is used as a marker for the OSE which separates the upper and middle reaches of the river. The Montezuma Gage #08380500 can be affected by ice in the winter months yielding infrequent and sometimes unreliable readings. The Montezuma USGS Gage #08380500 reported a total flow of 15,852 af in 2019. Of that total flow, the OSE-operated gages on the acequias in the middle reach of the river reported a total combined diversion of 3,260 af. This total is not reflective of the diversion of water taken by the Roundhouse Ditch as there was no accurate measurement at that site recorded by the OSE in 2019. The total flow required to fully satisfy demand of all the acequias in the middle reach of the river is 4,796 af, with 50% of that requirement belonging to the Gallinas Canal Acequia.

SPWUA received a total delivery of 10,695 af from the Gallinas River in 2019, according to the OSE-operated gage. SPWUA reported a total stored amount in Storrie Lake of 10,968 af at the start of 2019. The total storage in Storrie Lake reported by SPWUA on December 31, 2019, was 14,278 af.

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COLV reported a total combined diversion of 2,264 af in 2019. The combined diversion reported by COLV includes water from their storage in Storrie Lake, water diverted from the Gallinas River and a small portion of permitted water rights. COLV did not report any usage from Taylor Well Field in 2019.

The Lourdes Gage #08382000 (Figure 3) is located upstream of the San Augustine Ditch point of diversion, near the village of San Augustin, N.M. This gage is used as a marker by the OSE to separate the middle and lower reaches of the river. The Lourdes gage is seasonally operated by the USGS and does not show any information during portions of the winter months. The Lourdes USGS Gage #08382000 reported a total flow of 2,437 af in 2019. The OSE operated gage on La Concepcion Ditch and the metered flow from the Allemand River Pump, combined, resulted in a total diversion of 45 af from the Gallinas River. Although the water master witnessed the San Augustin Ditch taking water throughout the irrigation season, the total diversion reported herein is not reflective of the diversion of water taken by this ditch because there was not a working measurement station on this ditch in 2019.

The USGS Colonias Gage #08382500 (Figure 3) is located upstream from the confluence of the Gallinas and Pecos Rivers near the Village of Colonias, N.M. This gage is used to determine the amount of water leaving the Gallinas River Basin.

Figure3

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Wesner Springs Snowpack*  

 Figure 4 

 

The Wesner Springs SNOTEL station #854 (Figure 4) is located on Wesner Peak above the Gallinas River Watershed and operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to record area snowpack and other data. This gage is used by area stakeholders as well as the water master to gauge the amount of snow above the watershed and the potential runoff snow melt in the spring. The recorded snow water equivalent (SWE) in 2019 at Wesner Springs was below the median in the first three months of the year but crept up and stayed well above average the remainder of the late spring and early winter. Past years averages for monthly SWE show 2019 to be 197% of the 30-year median mostly in part due to a substantial remaining snowpack in June of 2019. If the month of June is not considered, the snowpack average SWE was a healthy 104% above the 30-year median. For the entire year the SWE was 121% of median or 71.3 inches compared to a 30-year median of 58.8 inches.

                                                            * All data provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and is subject to change  

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Gallinas River Basin Annual Precipitation (inches)*

Figure 5 

2019 Irrigation Season Precipitation 53 Days 11.21 Inches 2019 Total Precipitation 74 Days 13.79 Inches

                                                            *    All data provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and is provisional and subject to change ** Monthly precipitation average from November 1940 to December 2018 recorded at the Las Vegas Airport.  

Date Jan Feb March April May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Total

1            0.25  0.03            0.28 

2              0.01  0.10          0.11 

3      0.01      0.07    0.61          0.69 

4                    0.70      0.70 

5      0.02      0.03  0.14            0.19 

6            0.01  0.79  0.01      0.02    0.83 

7              1.07    1.03        2.10 

8          0.41      0.21  0.04        0.66 

9          0.22      0.29        0.01  0.52 

10          0.28        0.01        0.29 

11  0.23    0.18    0.09      0.02          0.52 

12      0.29  0.02        0.15          0.46 

13  0.08      0.47      0.93  0.02          1.50 

14              0.32            0.32 

15    0.02          0.06    0.01        0.09 

16            0.01  0.02    0.01      0.02  0.06 

17        0.11    0.37              0.48 

18  0.02  0.02                      0.04 

19      0.08            0.01        0.09 

20                      0.16    0.16 

21      0.38          0.01      0.12    0.51 

22      0.06  0.36        0.05          0.47 

23        0.61        0.04  0.04        0.69 

24                    0.04    0.12  0.16 

25        0.02      0.01            0.03 

26              0.13            0.13 

27              0.72          0.29  1.01 

28            0.01        0.08      0.09 

29                      0.39    0.39 

30                    0.04      0.04 

31      0.06    0.04      0.08          0.18 

Totals 0.33  0.04  1.08  1.59  1.04  0.75  4.23  1.59  1.15  0.86  0.69  0.66  13.79 

*Monthly Average**

0.40  0.45  0.89  0.90  1.51  2.31  2.97  3.73  2.25  1.34  0.58  0.50  18.05 

Difference ‐0.07  ‐0.41  0.19  0.69  ‐0.47  ‐1.56  +1.26  ‐2.14  +0.69  ‐0.48  +0.11  +0.16  ‐4.26 

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Figure 6

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Figure 7

Upper Reach

There are seven acequias in the upper reach of the river which are monitored by the water master and have no OSE metering installed to date. These acequias are subject to the PDR of 3.077 af/ac/an for the Gallinas River acequias.

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Figure 8 Middle Reach

The maximum amount of river flow required to satisfy the rights of all river users in the middle reach of the river is 30,981 af, including the total combined storage for SPWUA and COLV if Storrie Lake is completely empty. The total available water recorded by the USGS Montezuma Gage No. 08380500 (Figure 3) in the middle reach of the river in 2019 was 15,852 af. SPWUA received 10,695 af from the river, COLV received a total of 1,929 af from the river and the acequia’s combined diversion was 3,260 af1 throughout the middle reach of the river.

Storrie Lake started out in 2019 with a total capacity of 11,449 af (Figure 2). On December 31, 2019, the total reported combined storage in Storrie Lake for COLV and SPWUA was 14,278 af (Figure 2). COLV did not report any added storage into Storrie Lake in 2019.

                                                            1 The acequia’s combined diversion total does not reflect water diverted by the Roundhouse Ditch in 2019. 

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The City of Las Vegas received a total delivery of 1,929 af according to the measurement station operated by the OSE. This diversion amount resulted in 74% of the total adjudicated annual diversion amount for COLV and 12.2% of the total available water delivery in the middle reach of the river in 2019. In addition, COLV reported a total diversion of 372 af from the Storrie Lake bulk water purchase in storage and 12.5 af of permitted rights in 2019. Based on OSE metering information and COLV’s reported diversion amounts, the total combined diversion for 2019 was 2,314 af. COLV reported a total return flow of treated effluent into the river of 1,454 af from the LVWWTP in 2019. COLV is not subject to the PDR of 3.077 af/ac/an for the Gallinas River acequias. Montezuma Pipe Line/United World College (UWC river pump) has 8.0 acres of irrigated land with a maximum adjudicated annual diversion amount of 3.0 af. The UWC river pump is not subject to the PDR of 3.077 af/ac/an for the Gallinas River acequias. The UWC river pump received a total delivery of 3.42 af from the river at the adjudicated point of diversion (POD) during the 2019 irrigation season. This 0.42 af over-diversion amount resulted in 114% of the total adjudicated diversion amount for the ditch and <1% of the total water delivery in the middle reach of the river in 2019. During a routine weekly field check of the UWC river pump and meter, the water master found the UWC pumping in excess of their adjudicated diversion amount. The UWC discontinued pumping for the remainder of the season when the water master informed them of the over-diversion. Gallinas Canal Acequia (Gallinas Canal) has 774.23 acres of irrigated land with a maximum adjudicated annual diversion amount of 2,404.74 af. In addition, the Gallinas Canal has adjudicated ponds with an annual net evaporative loss of 14.58 AF. Gallinas Canal is subject to the PDR of 3.077 af/ac/an for the Gallinas River acequias. Gallinas Canal received a total delivery of 452.43 af from the river at the adjudicated POD during the 2019 irrigation season. This diversion amount resulted in 19% of the total adjudicated diversion amount for the ditch and 2.9% of the total water delivery in the middle reach of the river in 2019.

SPWUA received a total delivery of 10,694.73 af during 2019, satisfying 55% of their total adjudicated storage amount and diverting 67.5% of the total available water delivery in the middle reach of the river in 2019. Total storage in Storrie Lake, as of December 31, 2019, is shown on the table for Live Storage Capacities (Figure 2). SPWUA is not subject to the PDR of 3.077 af/ac/an for the Gallinas River acequias from their diversion from the Gallinas River. However SPWUA stakeholders are subject to the PDR of 2.86 af/ac/an for their diversion for irrigation from storage in Storrie Lake. SPWUA has a total storage amount in Storrie Lake of 19,447 af. The maximum combined storage in Storrie Lake for SPWUA and COLV shall not exceed 21,747 af.

Acequia Agapito Vigil has 11.78 acres of irrigated land with a maximum adjudicated annual diversion amount of 36.25 af. Acequia Agapito Vigil is subject to the PDR of 3.077 af/ac/an for the Gallinas River acequias. Acequia Agapito Vigil received water in 2019 but does not have an OSE meter installed on the ditch at this time.

Agapito Vigil (Noble river pump) has 2.1 acres of irrigated land with a maximum adjudicated annual diversion amount of 2.1 af. The Noble river pump is permitted as a second POD and is not subject to the PDR of 3.077 af/ac/an for the Gallinas River acequias when diverting with the river pump. However, the Nobles also maintain the ability to divert from the Acequia Agapito Vigil and are subject to the PDR through this POD. The water master sent the second notice of violation to the Nobles reminding them that they are obligated under the permit Conditions of

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Approval for their permitted river pump to have a meter on the pump and submit quarterly meter readings of their usage. To date, the water master has received no correspondence and no meter readings from the Nobles. The water master will begin compliance action in 2020 which may result in permit cancellation by the OSE if the Nobles do not comply with the permit Conditions of Approval to install an approved meter and submit meter readings.

Acequia Madre de Los Vigiles has 172.09 acres of irrigated land with a maximum adjudicated annual diversion amount of 534.6 af. In addition, the Acequia Madre de Los Vigiles has adjudicated ponds with an annual net evaporative loss of 3.30 af. Acequia Madre de Los Vigiles is subject to the PDR of 3.077 af/ac/an for the Gallinas River acequias. Acequia Madre de Los Vigiles received a total delivery of 1,045 af from the river at the adjudicated POD during the 2019 irrigation season. This 510.4 af over-diversion resulted in 195% of the total adjudicated diversion amount for the ditch and ~6.6% of the total water delivery in the middle reach of the river in 2019. The Mayordomo, Ray Gallegos, was called upon and informed of the over-diversion in early July. The water master informed Mr. Gallegos the ditch had consumed its entire senior right and could possibly be called upon to shut down and discontinue irrigation if other senior rights holders called for water. Mr. Gallegos was very responsive and cooperative when called upon by the water master to stop diverting water for short periods of time to allow senior users to take the water. However, the ditch continued over-diverting until the end of the irrigation season demonstrating poor management of the ditch and the water.

Grzelachowski Ditch has 75.24 acres of irrigated land with a maximum adjudicated annual diversion amount of 247.02 af. In addition, the Grzelachowski Ditch has adjudicated ponds with a total surface area of 10.8 acres. Grzelachowski Ditch is subject to the PDR of 3.077 af/ac/an for the Gallinas River acequias. Grzelachowski Ditch received a total delivery of 279.5 af from the river at the adjudicated POD during the 2019 irrigation season. This 32.48 af over-diversion resulted in 113% of the total adjudicated diversion amount for the ditch and ~1.8% of the total water delivery in the middle reach of the river in 2019. The water master informed Mayordomo Dave Jones of the over-diversion in early September. Mr. Jones acknowledged the over-diversion and was cooperative with the water master when called upon to stop diverting.

Acequia Madre de Los Romeros has 216.03 acres of irrigated land with a maximum adjudicated annual diversion amount of 681.97 af. In addition, Acequia Madre de Los Romeros has adjudicated ponds with an annual net evaporative loss of 11.22 af. Acequia Madre de Los Romeros is subject to the PDR of 3.077 af/ac/an for the Gallinas River acequias. Acequia Madre de Los Romeros received a total delivery of 681.82 af from the river at the adjudicated POD in 2019. This diversion resulted in 100% of the total adjudicated diversion amount for the ditch and ~4.3% of the total water delivery in the middle reach of the river in 2019. Mayordomo Dickey Martinez did a great job staying in contact with the water master during the season and responded appropriately when called upon to make adjustments to the ditch.

Acequia Nuestra Señora de los Dolores de Las Vegas has 25.65 acres of irrigated land with a maximum adjudicated annual diversion amount of 81.69 af. In addition, Acequia Nuestra Señora de los Dolores de Las Vegas has adjudicated ponds with an annual net evaporative loss of 1.8 acres. Acequia Nuestra Señora de los Dolores de Las Vegas is subject to the PDR of 3.077 af/ac/an for the Gallinas River acequias. Acequia Nuestra Señora de los Dolores de Las Vegas received a total delivery of 62.62 af from the river at the adjudicated POD in 2019. This diversion resulted in 77% of the total adjudicated diversion amount for the ditch and <1% of the total water delivery in the middle reach of the river in 2019. Communication between the State

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Health Department officials who manage the ditch and the water master remained very consistent in 2019.

Acequia Madre de Las Vegas has 77.91 acres of irrigated land with a maximum adjudicated annual diversion amount of 242.5 af. In addition, the Acequia Madre de Las Vegas has adjudicated ponds with a total surface area of 1.80 acres. Acequia Madre de Las Vegas is subject to the PDR of 3.077 af/ac/an for the Gallinas River acequias. Acequia Madre de Las Vegas received a total delivery of 605.96 af from the river at the adjudicated POD in 2019. This 363.5 af over-diversion resulted in 250% of the total adjudicated diversion amount for the ditch and 3.8% of the total water delivery in the middle reach of the river in 2019. The ditch completed repairs to their works in late April 2019. The ditch began diverting water in May and took their allocated amount by end of June. The Mayordomo, Gilbert Uliberri, was contacted by the water master and informed of the over-diversion several times. The water master stayed in communication with the Mayordomo and ditch President throughout the remainder of the season. In the middle of September, the water master asked ditch officials to discontinue diverting water until further notice to allow lower flows to be taken by downstream users with a remaining senior right. The ditch acknowledged the request by the water master and did not divert water from Mid-September through October 31st. The water master will meet with the Ditch Commissioners prior to the start of the irrigation season in 2020 to express the need to practice better ditch management in the future. The water master will also inform the ditch that future over-diversions may result in the ditch being required to pay back the water being over-diverted. The ditch’s future diversions will be carefully monitored by the water master.

Roundhouse Ditch has 129.51 acres of irrigated land with a maximum adjudicated annual diversion amount of 398.64 af. In addition, the Roundhouse Ditch has adjudicated ponds with a total surface area of 0.90 acres. The Roundhouse Ditch is subject to the PDR of 3.077 af/ac/an for the Gallinas River acequias. The water master witnessed the Roundhouse Ditch diverting water throughout the irrigation season but the ditch did not have a properly functioning meter and therefore no accurate diversion data was collected. The measurement station is scheduled to be repaired by the OSE in early 2020 and will be functioning properly for the 2020 irrigation season.

Pappen Ditch has 53.2 acres of irrigated land with a maximum adjudicated annual diversion amount of 163.70 af. The Pappen Ditch is subject to the PDR of 3.077 af/ac/an for the Gallinas River acequias. The Pappen Ditch received a total delivery of 129.35 af from the river at the adjudicated POD in 2019. This diversion resulted in 79% of the total adjudicated diversion amount for the ditch and <1% of the total water delivery in the middle reach of the river in 2019. The ditch made repairs in early 2019 to fix a blowout in the ditch that occurred in the 2018 irrigation season but has continuously neglected to replace the headgate which no longer exists. The water master has notified ditch owner Lupe Trujillo on multiple occasions throughout many years that the works on the ditch need to be operational.

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Figure 9

Lower Reach

A total annual delivery of 2,437 af was recorded in the lower reach of the river by the USGS Lourdes Gage No. 08382000 (Figure 3). This station reported an available flow of 2,164 af between April 1, and October 31, 2019. The USGS Lourdes Gage is also used by the water master to monitor the return flows by COLV. COLV reported a total return flow back to the river of 1,454 af from the LVWWTP. This return flow supplemented the total delivery recorded by the USGS Lourdes Gage No. 08382000 in 2019 and subsequently was capable of supplying the maximum diversion amount of 1,080 af required for all river users in the lower reach of the river during the seven month irrigation period.

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San Augustin Ditch has 73.14 acres of irrigated land with a maximum adjudicated annual diversion amount of 225.05 af. The San Augustin Ditch is subject to the PDR of 3.077 af/ac/an for the Gallinas River acequias. The San Augustin Ditch did not have a functioning measurement station throughout the 2019 irrigation season. The previous measurement station was vandalized and all the equipment stolen from it in late 2018. The measurement station is scheduled to be replaced by the OSE and functional for the 2020 irrigation season.

La Bereda Blanca (Montano river pump) has 17.2 acres of irrigated land with a maximum adjudicated annual diversion amount of 34.4 af. The Montano river pump is not subject to the PDR of 3.077 af/ac/an for the Gallinas River acequias. The Montano river pump was damaged by floodwater in late 2017 and has not diverted any water since.

La Bereda Blanca (Allemand river pump) has 66.13 acres of irrigated land with a maximum adjudicated annual diversion amount of 132.26 af. The Allemand river pump is not subject to the PDR of 3.077 af/ac/an for the Gallinas River acequias. The Allemand river pump received a total delivery of 45.01 af from the river as recorded on the meter on the river pump. This diversion resulted in 34% of the total adjudicated diversion amount and 1.9% of the total water delivery in the lower reach of the river in 2019. Archie Allemand has been continually working with the water master to complete requirements for the pond permit issued in 2017. On January 2, 2020, Mr. Allemand submitted Application SD-01912-7 through 14 for a Proof of Completion of Works, per the Conditions of Approval, for his recently completed pond. The application is currently under review by the OSE. The water master witnessed the pond being built in 2019 and spoke with Mr. Allemand on several occasions during the contruction.

La Concepcion has 34.1 acres of irrigated land with a maximum adjudicated annual diversion amount of 104.93 af. La Concepcion is subject to the PDR of 3.077 af/ac/an for the Gallinas River acequias. La Concepcion and headgate were badly damaged by flood waters in late 2017 and remained in disrepair throughout the entirety of both the 2018 and 2019 irrigation seasons. Damian Lujan informed the water master that the ditch is in the process of obtaining funding for repairs.

Ancon Del Gato has 64.8 acres of irrigated land with a maximum adjudicated annual diversion amount of 199.39 af. The Ancon del Gato Ditch is subject to the PDR of 3.077 af/ac/an for the Gallinas River acequias. Ancon del Gato headgate was damaged by floodwater that occurred in late 2017. No repairs were made to the headgate in 2019. The water master did not observe any diversion of water through the ditch during the 2019 irrigation season.

West Chaperito has 106.5 acres of irrigated land with a maximum adjudicated annual diversion amount of 327.7 af. The West Chaperito Ditch is subject to the PDR of 3.077 af/ac/an for the Gallinas River acequias. Prior to the start of the 2019 irrigation season, the water master spoke to the ditch President Alex Carone who informed the water master the ditch would make every effort to take water in the 2019 irrigation season. Despite cleaning and making multiple repairs made to the West Chaperito Ditch by its members in 2019, the ditch did not divert any water.

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Water Master Oversight

Special Investigations

May River Pump - The river pump operated by Bill and Dorothy May under OSE Permit No. SD-03229-8 POD2 (formerly diverting off the La Liendre – Acequia Arriba) continued to work with the water master in 2019 to get their water rights in compliance to continue irrigation of 17.97 acres. The water master approved applications for Change of Ownership of Water Rights for the Mays in 2019. The Mays did not irrigate throughout the 2019 irrigation season because the previously approved Applications for Extensions of Time (ETs) require the owner to submit a plat map to show retired acreage for the approved permit SD-03229-8 POD2 to use a pond for irrigation, prior to further irrigation. On November 25, 2019, the Mays requested the cancellation of OSE Permit SD-03229-8 (Subfile No. GR-33.8) for Alternate POD and Pond. The water master acknowledged the request and acted upon it the same day effectively cancelling the permit and subsequent requirements of said permit.

Acequia Agapito Vigil – The water master met with Mayordomo Floyd Griego to finalize a metering agreement for the Acequia Agapto Vigil. The ditch is one of the last in the middle reach of the Gallinas River that is not currently measured by the OSE. The reasoning for the lack of measurement in past years is mostly due to the limited access for measurement construction because of the location of the ditch. The headgate of the ditch is situated within the same diversion structure as the SPWUA diversion structure and OSE operated diversion gate. After several high flow events in recent years, the entry point at the ditch’s headgate is now several feet above the live riverbed limiting the ditch’s ability to divert water. In 2017, ditch personnel used equipment to extend a path up the riverbed in an effort to divert more water but high flows later in the season damaged most of the effort. In addition, the area that is silted in (in front of the headgate) is privately owned causing access issues for the ditch to clean it out. The water master and the District VI Manager walked the ditch to gain some knowledge on where possible measurement can placed. At this time, the ditch has signed and agreed to the metering but placement of the measurement station is an on-going issue due to the failing condition of the ditch and its location. Continued efforts will be made by the water master to get a measurement station installed on the ditch in the future. See bullet point under “Future Meter Installations” on Page 25 of this report.

Measurement and Infrastructure

Gallinas River Measurement – The State of New Mexico operates and maintains numerous measurement stations around the state. The water master maintains 16 individual measurement stations within the middle and lower reaches of the Gallinas River. These measurement stations vary in type and measure water for multiple purposes. The water master performs regular manual measurements to validate the accuracy of the measurement stations. Adequate river flows in the spring of 2019 allowed OSE staff and the water master to manually measure most of the acequias within the middle reach of the river. Adjustments were made to the data loggers, as needed, to adjust recorded measurement. Real-time data collected from the OSE operated

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measurement stations can be viewed on the Real Time Measurement Site (RTMS) on the OSE website. The link to this website can be found further in this report. The Real Time Measurement Site (RTMS) - The RTMS, operated by the OSE, is used to record real time measurement at the state’s measurement stations located throughout the State of New Mexico. All the information on the RTMS is available to the general public via the OSE website found below. Individual station records can be broken down by hourly, daily or monthly usage and stage height. The data is recorded every 15 minutes from the measurement site and updated on the website every hour. The records can be downloaded or printed depending on the needs of the individual. The website can be accessed through the flowing links: Measurement on Statewide sites can be found here: http://meas.ose.state.nm.us/meas/home.jsp Measurement on the Gallinas River can be found here: http://meas.ose.state.nm.us/meas/subbasin.jsp?id=Gallinas#title Acequia Repairs: The Acequia Madre de Las Vegas

applied for and received funding to rebuild the works and the diversion structure on the ditch. The construction began in early 2019 and concluded late in April 2019. The new works allow the ditch the ability to effectively divert water from the river and fixed past headgate seepage issues. These repairs are a great example of the ditch utilizing State and Federal funds available for acequia improvements.

The water master continued efforts to get the Noble river pump metered in accordance with

OSE Permit No. SD-02988-1 POD2, Conditions of Approval. The permit to allow use of the river pump was approved in 2015 and the Nobles continue to be non-compliant. Compliance action or permit revocation by the OSE will be pursued if the Nobles do not take appropriate action. See bullet point under “Future Meter Installations” on Page 25 of this report

Pappen Ditch is a private ditch owned by Lupe Trujillo. The headgate on the Pappen Ditch was destroyed by the 2011 river flood and now runs water all year. However, the ditch has a desaque prior to the turn-out onto the property which returns the flow back to the river when it is not being used for irrigation. The water master has called the owner on multiple occasions and requested that the owner repair the works on the ditch. The water master informed the owner that funding may be available to repair control works. To date, no repairs have been made. The water master is not aware of any progress or requests made by the ditch to receive funding or repair the works.

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The La Concepcion did not irrigate in 2019. During a flood event in late 2017, the La Concepcion sustained damage to part of the ditch and most of the diversion works, rendering the ditch unusable. Damian Lujan, Mayordomo on the ditch, informed the water master he most likely wouldn’t irrigate in 2019 because of the damage to the ditch. Prior to use in the 2020 irrigation season, repairs will need to be made to fix the areas where the ditch and headgate are damaged or blown out.

The river pump used by Stacy Montaño (formerly Acequia La Bereda Blanca) was also

damaged by the flood in September 2017. Mr. Montaño informed the water master he would not irrigate with the river pump in 2019. No subsequent repairs have been made to the river pump. The water master has not been made aware if water will be diverted in 2020.

The Ancon Del Gato headgate was damaged by the flood in late 2017 and will require repairs by the acequia to operate correctly. The ditch cannot currently divert water through the damaged headgate (see bullet point in the next section of this report).

 

West Chaperito Ditch is a private ditch operated by personnel located on the Singleton Ranch. The operators of the ditch made some repairs to the headgate and works in 2019. They utilized an excavator to clean out the ditch which is now considerably lower in elevation than the measurement device operated by the OSE. The water master contacted Alex Carrone with the ditch who said he is aware of the difference in elevation and is attempting to complete the repairs on the ditch as soon as possible so they can start taking water again. The West Chaperito Ditch has not regularly irrigated in many years.

Future Meter Installations:

Ancon Del Gato will require a metering station on the ditch. The requirements for the size, type and location of installation are yet to be determined. There is no metering agreement on file with the OSE for the ditch.

Acequia Agapito Vigil will require a measurement station on the ditch. The requirements for the size, type and location of installation are yet to be determined and multiple repairs must be made to the ditch prior to installation of a measuring device.

Agapito Vigil (Noble river pump) is a permitted river pump SD-02988-1 POD2 and will require a meter, installed and maintained by the applicant.

The water master will begin research in 2020 for installing measurement stations on the acequias in the Upper Gallinas.

Gallinas River Voluntary Rotation Schedule

On June 22, 2019, the sustained flow in the river fell below 15 cfs and the water master initiated the Gallinas River Voluntary Rotation Schedule (rotation schedule). The participants of the rotation schedule (Attachment A) include all stakeholders within the middle reach of the Gallinas River. The boundaries of the middle reach of the river begin at the USGS Montezuma gage #08380500 located upstream of the adjudicated POD for COLV and terminate at the OSE-operated Gallinas River Below Middle Diversions gage at the confluence of the Pecos Arroyo upstream of the LVWWTP. The rotation schedule continued through the remainder of the 2019 irrigation season, temporarily suspended by only a few flow events over 20 cfs. The diversions by ten acequias, including the Noble river pump, COLV and SPWUA, are all affected by the

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rotation schedule. According to the rotation schedule guidelines, when flows in the river are less than 4.0 cfs COLV may divert either what is needed to maintain their demands or the entire river, whichever is less. The Las Vegas Water Treatment Plant Operator maintained good communication with the water master. COLV took advantage of the full flow of the river on a couple of occasions. The water master was well informed during these times and COLV consistently left a small amount of flow in the river to maintain a base flow to preserve the riparian vegetation and the river’s natural habitat. SPWUA and the Gallinas Canal Acequia ceased diversions at the same time the rotation schedule was implemented and did not divert for the remainder of the season, except during the short periods of time when the flow in the river exceeded 20 cfs. Successful implementation and execution of the rotation schedule by the stakeholders, and the water master, ensured the equitable distribution of water during times of shortage.

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Summary

As documented in this report, 2019 proved to be a much better year than 2018 in terms of available water supply for the stakeholders on the Gallinas River. The total precipitation from rainfall recorded at the Las Vegas Airport was lower in 2019 by ~3.8 inches but the accumulated amount of SWE recorded at the SNOTEL site at Wesner Springs was 71.3 inches in 2019. The recorded SNOTEL amount in 2018 was 6.8 inches. The huge difference in SWE between 2018 and 2019 was the primary factor for such an improved water year in 2019. The Gallinas River in general, was healthier in 2019 than 2018 and did not dry up in any section throughout the entire year. The area did not experience any major forest fires in 2019 and that helped preserve the local water resources and assisted in healing the local ecology damaged from the severe drought a year earlier. Additionally, the river did not experience any severely damaging floods in 2019. By mid-June when the run-off had diminished and the river flow was back to average for that time of year, the amount of water Storrie Lake had received from the river was almost twice as much (in a four month span) as the lake had received the last two years combined. COLV started filling Bradner Reservoir in 2019. The increased storage space will be a huge benefit in the coming years during times of severe drought comparable to what was experienced in the basin in 2018. The increased storage has allowed COLV to pull away from its reliance on groundwater from the Taylor Well Field which COLV did not use in 2019. This downturn in reliance aids in the preservation of groundwater resource for local residents around the well field. Although the rotation schedule took effect in mid-June of 2019, irrigators experienced better crop turnout than a year prior and several irrigators received most, if not all, of their allocated amounts for the irrigation season. In some cases, the acequias diverted more than their adjudicated amounts. Overall, 2019 proved to be a good year on the Gallinas River.

The snowpack recorded in early 2020 at SNOTEL site at Wesner Springs, shows signs of the upcoming 2020 irrigation season possibly being as good as 2019 if the current trend continues.

This report summarizes activities for the 2019 water year on the Gallinas River and is for informational purposes only. This report does not suggest, validate or establish a water right and is not binding on the State of New Mexico or the State Engineer in any adjudication or administrative proceeding.

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Attachment A

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Attachment A

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Attachment A

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Attachment A

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Attachment A

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Attachment A

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Attachment B

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Attachment B

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Attachment B 

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Attachment B