Proposed Pecos River Salinity StudyPecos River in Bitter Lake NWR, March 2011 Mouth of Rio Hondo, April 2011 Canoe Put-In East of Roswell, October 2010 Operated by Los Alamos National

Operated by Los Alamos National Security, LLC for NNSA

Evaluation of Pecos River Salinity Inputs near Roswell, NM

Paul Reimus(1)

Pamela Archer(1)

Dudley Jones(2)

(1)Earth and Environmental Sciences Division,

Los Alamos National Laboratory

(2)Carlsbad Irrigation District


Objective and Methods Objective - • Identify and quantify salinity inputs near Roswell and their

impact at Brantley Reservoir

Methods - • USGS flow gauge data

• Specific conductance surveys

• Major ion chemistry of water samples

2

Mouth of Rio Hondo, April 2011 Pecos River in Bitter Lake NWR, March 2011 Canoe Put-In East of Roswell, October 2010


Pecos River in SE New Mexico and Roswell Study Area

3

N. Spring River, April 2011


Pecos River Flows over Past 3 Years

4

1

10

100

1000

10/1/2008 4/1/2009 9/30/2009 3/31/2010 9/29/2010 3/30/2011 9/28/2011

Dis

cha

rge

, Cu

bic

Fe

et

pe

r S

eco

nd

Date

Acme

BLM N

BLM S

Lake Arthur

Lakewood

Source: USGS Flow Data @ http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nm/nwis/

Spikes are Block Releases and Storms

(~58% of total flow at BLM S and L. Arthur)

Conductance Survey Dates


Pecos Flow Differences over Past 3 Years

5

-10

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

10/1/2008 4/1/2009 9/30/2009 3/31/2010 9/29/2010 3/30/2011 9/28/2011

Dis

cha

rge

Dif

fere

nce

, Cu

bic

Fe

et

pe

r S

eco

nd

Date

BLM N - Acme

BLM S -Acme

Lake Arthur-Acme

Lakewood-Acme

a)

Source: USGS Flow Data @ http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nm/nwis/

High-Flow Events Removed (~20% of Record)

Operated by Los Alamos National Security, LLC for NNSA 6

Specific Conductance Surveys

- October 2010 U.S. 380 to Dexter

- March 2011 N BLNWR to U.S. 380

- April 2011 Rio Hondo Watershed


2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

7000

8000

9000

10000

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35

Spec

ific

Con

duct

ance

, µ

S/cm

Distance (in miles) from Northern BLNWR boundary (end 5 river miles north of NM 409 bridge in Dexter)

March Data Original October Data Adjusted October Data

Scout Camp

Hunter Oxbow

Rio Hondo

Lea Lake Inflow

Blown

Well

Specific Conductance in Pecos River


TDS and Major Ions in Pecos River

8

0

2000

4000

6000

8000

10000

12000

14000

32.4 32.6 32.8 33 33.2 33.4 33.6

TD

S, m

g/L

Latitude, degrees N

Oct. 2010 - 33, 64

Nov. 2010 - 23, 59

Jan. 2011 - 32, 66

March 2011 - 18, 45

April 2011 - 52, 90

Inflowing Waters

BLN

WR

Sco

ut

Cam

p

Hu

nte

r O

xbo

wR

io H

on

do

Lea

Lake

Bra

ntl

ey

Re

serv

oir

U.S

. 70

Lake

wo

od

Art

esi

a

Lake

Art

hu

r

Hag

erm

an

De

xte

r

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

32.4 32.6 32.8 33 33.2 33.4 33.6

(Na

+K

)/C

a M

ole

Ra

tio

Latitude, degrees N

Oct. 2010 - 33, 64

Nov. 2010 - 23, 59

Jan. 2011 - 32, 66

March 2011 - 18, 45

April 2011 - 52, 90

Inflowing Waters

BLN

WR

Sco

ut

Cam

p

Hu

nte

r O

xbo

w

Rio

Ho

nd

o

Lea

Lake

Bra

ntl

ey

Re

serv

oir

U.S

. 70

Lake

wo

od

Art

esi

a

Lake

Art

hu

r

Hag

erm

an

De

xte

r

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

32.4 32.6 32.8 33 33.2 33.4 33.6

Cl/

SO

4 M

ole

Ra

tio

Latitude, degrees N

Oct. 2010 - 33, 64

Nov. 2010 - 23, 59

Jan. 2011 - 32, 66

March 2011 - 18, 45

April 2011 - 52, 90

Inflowing Waters

BL

NW

RS

co

ut

Ca

mp

Hu

nte

r O

xb

ow

Rio

Ho

nd

oLea

La

ke

Bra

ntl

ey

Re

serv

oir

U.S

. 7

0

Lake

wo

od

Art

esi

a

La

ke

Art

hu

r

Ha

ge

rma

n

De

xte

r

1.0

1.2

1.4

1.6

1.8

2.0

2.2

2.4

2.6

2.8

3.0

32.4 32.6 32.8 33 33.2 33.4 33.6

Ca/

Mg

Mo

le R

atio

Latitude, degrees N

Oct. 2010 - 33, 64

Nov. 2010 - 23, 59

Jan. 2011 - 32, 66

March 2011 - 18, 45

April 2011 - 52, 90

Inflowing Waters

BLN

WR

Sco

ut

Cam

p

Hu

nte

r O

xbo

w

Rio

Ho

nd

o

Lea

Lake

Bra

ntl

ey

Re

serv

oir

U.S

. 70

Lake

wo

od

Art

esi

a

Lake

Art

hu

r

Hag

erm

an

De

xte

r

TDS (Na+K)/Ca

Cl/SO4

Ca/Mg

Operated by Los Alamos National Security, LLC for NNSA 9

TDS and Major Ions in Hondo Watershed

0

2000

4000

6000

8000

10000

12000

14000

-104.54 -104.5 -104.46 -104.42 -104.38 -104.34

TD

S, m

g/L

Longitude, degrees

Rio Hondo

N. Spring River

Rio Berrendo

Ponds west of Water Plant

BLWNR

Lea Lake

West East

TDS

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

-104.54 -104.5 -104.46 -104.42 -104.38 -104.34

(Na

+K

)/C

a M

ole

Ra

tio

Longitude, degrees

Rio Hondo

N. Spring River

Rio Berrendo


BLNWR

Lea Lake

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

-104.54 -104.5 -104.46 -104.42 -104.38 -104.34

Cl/

SO

4 M

ole

Ra

tio

Longitude, degrees

Rio Hondo

N. Spring River

Rio Berrendo


BLNWR

Lea Lake

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

4

-104.54 -104.5 -104.46 -104.42 -104.38 -104.34

Ca

/Mg

Mo

le R

ati

o

Longitude, degrees

Rio Hondo

N. Spring River

Rio Berrendo


BLNWR

Lea Lake

(Na+K)/Ca

Cl/SO4 Ca/Mg


Salt Balance Calculations to Estimate

Inflows (October

2010)

10

33 CFS In

+ 5 CFS

+ 3 CFS

+ 9 CFS

+ 8 CFS

+ 6 CFS

64 CFS Out

(>2 CFS)


0

100000

200000

300000

400000

500000

600000

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

0 4 8 12 16 20 24 28 32

TD

S o

r N

aC

l Flu

x, k

g/d

ay

Flo

w, C

FS

Distance from N. Boundary of BLNWR, river miles

Flow 10/10

TDS Flux, 10/10

TDS Flux, 3/11

NaCl Flux, 10/10

N BLNWR

US 380

Below Hondo

Above Lea L.

Below Lea L.

Flows and Salt Fluxes in Pecos River (October 2010)

11

33.7 50.9

75.2 82.6

100

15.9

39.1

72.8

76.4 100

Numbers are % of Flux at BLM S/Dexter


Factoring in Block Releases and Storms Assumptions

– TDS and NaCl concentrations in U.S. 70 and N. BLNWR samples are representative over last 3 years

– Single block release sample (July 2011) is representative of high-flow events

– TDS and NaCl additions divided by flow additions in study area in October 2011 provide representative TDS and NaCl concentrations for all additions in study area over 3-year period

12

Flow/Flux

Contribution

Flow, m3

% of Flow

at BLM S

TDS, kg

% of TDS

at BLM S

NaCl, kg

% of NaCl

at BLM S

Acme Base Flow 2.21 x 107 21.0 5.53 x 107 18.0 1.13 x 107 12.9

Releases & Storms 6.08 x 107 57.7 1.34 x 108 43.7 1.15 x 107 13.1

Study Area Inflow 2.24 x 107 21.3 1.17 x 108 38.3 6.45 x 107 74.0

Average Annual Flows and Fluxes over Past 3 Years


Origin of Salt Inputs – Roswell Artesian Aquifer

13

Conceptual Model Chloride

Profiles

(Figures from Land and Newton, 2007)

Exposed Calcite Bed at

Y-O Fault in BLNWR


Conclusions and Future Plans

Plans: • Refine salt fluxes in Pecos River and

obtain time histories

• Evaluate potential for subsurface controls (passive or active wells)

• Desalination near discrete inflows?

14

• Nearly 40% of TDS and over 70% of NaCl reaching Brantley reservoir comes from Roswell-area inputs

• Diffuse sources, but over 75% of TDS and NaCl enter river at discrete inflows (Hunter Oxbow, Rio Hondo, Lea Lake)

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

7000

8000

9000

10000

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35

Spe

cifi

c C

on

du

ctan

ce,

µS/

cm

Distance (in miles) from Northern BLNWR boundary (end 5 river miles north of NM 409 bridge in Dexter)

March Data Original October Data Adjusted October Data

Scout Camp

Hunter Oxbow

Rio Hondo

Lea Lake Inflow

Blown

Well

Continuous Conductance Probes

Rio Hondo, April 2011


Acknowledgments

• LANL New Mexico Small Business Assistance Program Office

• Doug Ware and Mike Rearick, LANL

• Kay Havenor, Geoscience Technologies

• Bitter Lake NWR Staff

• Seichii Miyamoto, Texas Water Resources Institute

• Lewis Land, NM Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources

• Woods Houghton, Eddy County Extension Agent

• Dick Smith, Pecos Valley Artesian Conservancy District

15

Documents

Proposed Pecos River Salinity StudyPecos River in Bitter Lake NWR, March 2011 Mouth of Rio Hondo, April 2011 Canoe Put-In East of Roswell, October 2010 Operated by Los Alamos National