IDENTIFICATION OF ALLUVIAL VALLEY FLOORS I N STRIPPABLE COAL AREAS
OF NEW MEXICO
Report t o Emery Arnold, Director
Miningand Minerals D i v i s i o n
Energy and Minerals Department
Santa Fe, N e w Mexico
BY
D.W. Love and 3 . W . Hawley
N e w Mexico Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources
N e w Mexico I n s t i t u t e of MiningandTechnology
Socorro, N e w Mexico 8 7 8 0 1
And
T.C. Hobbs
Division
MiningandMinerals
Energyand Minerals D e p a r t a e n t
S a n t a F e , New Mexico
October 2 6 , 1981
IDENTIFICATION OF ALLUVIAL VALLEY FLOORS I N STRIPPABLE COAL AREAS
OF NEW MEXICO
Introduction
In 1977,. the
C o n g r e s sp r o t e c t e da g r i c u l t u r a l l y -
U.S.
states
i m p o r t a n ta l l u v i a lv a l l e yf l o o r si nt h ew e s t e r n
surface mining
d i s r u p t i o n by
Congress,
1977;'
(U.S.
from
U.S.
House of R e p r e s e n t a t i v e s ,1 9 7 7 a ,b ) .G u i d e l i n e sr e l e a s e d
t h e Region
V Office
of Surface
Mining
11,
areas of s u r f a c e - m i n e a b l ec o a p
l r o c e e d. i n
pthParhesaesse.
i n v e s t i g a t i o n s which
can
be
used
between"possiblealluvialvalley
quickly
preliminary
to
distinguish
floors" a n d " l a n d s c l e a r l y
The o t h e r two p h a s e sc o n s i d e r
n o ta l l u v i a lv a l l e yf l o o r s " .
of
of
consists
I
d e t a i l e da n a l y s e s
on
June
and s t u d y of a l l u v i a l v a l l e y
1 9 8 0 ,s u g g e s t e di d e n t i f i c a t i o n
f l o o r s (AVF) i n
(OSM)
by
g e o l o g yh
, y d r o l o g yb
, i o l o g ya n d l. a n d
u s e o fa r e a sc o n t a i n i n gp o s s i b l ea l l u v i a lv a l l e yf l o o r s .
of
e x p e d i t ep l a n n i n ga n dr e v i e wp r o c e s s e si nt h eS t a t e
Mexico, i n i t i a(lP h a s e
I)
To
i d e n t i f i c a t i o n of
New
" c l e a r lnyo t
alluviv
a la l l ef yl o o r s " p, o s s i b lnyo
a lt l u v i v
a ia l l e y
floors" and " p o t e n t i a la l l u v i a lv a l l e y
o u t by
the
N e w Mexico
floors" was
carried
Bureau
of
Mines
and
and
Mineral
Resources
and
the
Energy
and
Minerals
Department.
Such
p r e l i m i n a r yc l a s s i f i c a t i o na l l o w st h es t a f f
of t h eE n e r g y
a n dM i n e r a l sD e p a r t m e n t m
, i n eo p e r a t o r sa n do t h e ri n v o l v e d
p a r t i e s time t o c o n c e n t r a t e o n t h e b o t t o m l a n d a r e a s
adjacent to
mine
s i t e s whose
f u n c t i om
npu
sbrseot t e c tdeudr ianangfdm
t e irn i n g
operations.
h y d r o l o g iacnadg r i c u l t r a l
in-
~
and
Procedures
Phase I s t u d i e s w e r e d e s i g n e d t o e v a l u a t e t h e s u r f i c i a l
g e o lcohgai rca c t e r i sht iycdsr, o lcohgai rca c t e r i s t i c s ,
b i o l o g i cc h a r a c t e r i s t i c s
and
l a n du s ec h a r a c t e r i s t i c st h a t ,
q u a l i f y or d i s q u a l i f yv a l l e yf l o o r sa sp o t e n t i a la l l u v i a l
v a l l e fyl o o r(sT a b l e
e v a l u a t i o inn c l u d e od f f i c e
1). T h i s
review o f a v a i l a b l e h y d r o l o g i c
andgeomorphicinformationon
p a r t s of t h e SanJuanandRatonBasins
w i t h s t r i p p a b l ec o a l
well a fsi e l dr e c o n n a i s s a n c oem
f o sm
t ajor
r e s o u r c e sa, s
stream v a l lt ehi yneasr e H
a sy. d r o l o gd iawctear e
c o l l e c t e d and analyzed by
t r a v e r s e s( v e h i c u l a r
T.C.
Hobbs.
F i e l dw o r k .i n v o l v e d
and f o o t )a c r o s sc r i t i c a lv a l l e y - f l o o r
and
stream-channel
areas,
wells and
gauging
and v i s i t st o
s t a t i o n s w h e r eh y d r o l o g i cd a t ah a v eb e e nc o l l e c t e d .F i g u r e s
shown below a r ep r i n t s
d r a i n a g e s which
were
f r o mp h o t o g r a p h o
s rfe p r e s e n t a t i v e
selected
l a r g e set
from
a
slides taken t o
i l l u s t r a t e t h e geomorphic
t r a v e r s ei t e .
Once
field
ocfo l o r
s e t t i n ga te a c h
i n v e s t i g a t i o innsd i c a t et hde
p r e s epnocfses i abllleu vvi a l fl el oyoaresr, i a l
photographs of t h e
e x t e noitfr r i g a t i o n
a r e a s were s t u d i e dt o
and
subi irrigation
modern , s t r e a m s .R e f e r e n c e sg i v e na t h e
a r ed i v i d e d
'
Mexico.
a d j a c e nt o
t
u n p u b l i s h erde p o r t s
the
e n do ft h er e p o r t
i n t op u b l i s h e dr e f e r e n c e sa v a i l a b l e
~ ~ l i b r a r i e sand
,
f i l ea tt h e
map t h ep o s s i b l e
in
major
and
communications
on
MiningandMineralsDivisioninSantaFer
New
Results
coal
D r a i n a g ews i t h itnhset r i p p a b l e
Juan
Mexico i n c l u d et h eS a n
River System,
Puerco
River
(Map 1). Table 2 lists
t h e Vermejo RiverSystem
System,and
New
La P l a t aR i v e r
Rio PuercoSystem,
System,ChacoRiverSystem,
of
areas
and v a l l e y - f l o o r areas v i s i t e d , a s
thestreamsegments
a s the1:24,000and1:62,500
t h es t u d y F
. igure
well
scale quadrangle maps used
for
1 showsmonthlydischarge
in
monitored
streams i n t h e r e g i o n .
floors
Phase I s t u d i e si n d i c a t et h a ta l l u v i a lv a l l e y
I
most a r e a s w i t h e x i s t i n g
a r en o tp r e s e n ti n
or p l a n n e dc o a l
two a r e a si nt h e
m i n eo p e r a t i o n s T
. h e r ea r eo n l y
SanJuan
andRatonBasinswherehydrologicconditionsarefavorable
for p r e s e n coaefl l u v i av la l l efyl o o r T
s .h e saert eh e
v a l l e yoslfa r g epr e r e n n i aslt r e a mtsh aht e a idanl p i n e
a r e a s of
t hSea n g rdee
Cristo, San
Juan
and
La
Plata
shown by
solid
of t h e L a P l a t a
River
M o u n t a i n sR. i v evra l l esye g m e n tws i tpho t e n t ~ i aall l u v i a l
v a l l e yf l o o r si d e n t i f i e di nt h i ss t u d ya r e
l i n e s on Map 1. They a r e t h e v a l l e y s
above La P l a t a t o t h es t a t el i n e ,t h e
t h e Hogback
to
SanJuanRiverabove
Farmington,
and
the
Dawson to Vermejo P a r k .
Vermejo
Water is f e d
River
above
t o t h e s es t r e a m s
by
p r e c i p i t a t i o n , snow melt, s p r i n g s and s e e p s and is s u s t a i n e d
throughout
the
growing
season.
The
q u a l i tow
yf a t e r
is
a c c e p t a b l e for p l a n gt r o w t h a, n dt h er e g i o n a pl r a c t i c eo f
f l o o di r r i g a t i o n
and s u b i r r i g a t i o n
is c l e a r l yv i s i b l e .
3
~~~
~~
It
s h o u l db es t r e s s e dt h a tt h e s er i v e r - v a l l e ys e g m e n t sc o n t a i n
n o t a l l u v i a lv a l l e yf l o o r s ,b u t
r e a c h e st h a pt r o b a b l ya r e
d e t a i l e d s t u d i e s w i l l be needed t o e s t a b l i s h t h e p r e s e n c e
a b s e n coaefl l u v i avla l l efyl o o r s .
or
As s u g g e s t eitdnh e
O f fSiou
cfer f aM
c ei n idnrgg
a futi d e l i n e s
(7-11-80),
a p p l i c a nft o
smri n i npge r m iitns
to
adjacent
or
p o t e n t i a l AVF a r e a s h o u l dc o n s i d e rs t a r t i n gP h a s e
these
I1
AVF
s t u d i e s a s soon a s possible.
Two v a l l e ys e g m e n t s
on Map 1 a r e marked w i t h a
lower
l i n e symbol.
These
include
the
and York Canyons
( t r i b u t a r i e s to t h e
r e a c h e s of
dashedCaliente
.
Vermejo
River)
of
v a l l e y - f l o ao r e ca o
s n t a ci nh a n n e l s
small
The
perennial
streams, buthavenotbeenflood-irrigatedanddonotappear
htaopvoet e n t fifaol lor ior dr i g a t i o n . .
d i s c h a r g ep a r t l yr e f l e c t s
VermejoRiverdiversion
p r o c e s s i n g a t t h eK a i s e r
t h e r e may
be
short
Mine.
coal
for
Due t o t h eh i g hw a t e r
table,
valley-floor
segments
where
limited
s u b i r r i g a t i o n of c r o p s is p o s s i b l e T
. herefore,
were n o tp l a c e di n
Canyon
York
these
areas
t h e " c l e a r l yn o ta l l u v i a lv a l l e yf l o o r s "
not
c a t e g o r y and t h e ya r ei n f o r m a l l yd e s i g n a t e d" p o s s i b l y
a l l u v iva al l l ef lyo o r s " .
Each
area
must
be
evaluated
further.
"Lands c l e a r l y n o t a l l u v i a l v a l l e y f l o o r s " a r e
d o t t e d symbols
on
Map 1.
p r i m a r i l ye p h e m e r a lw i t h
Streams
i n these
shown by
valleys
are
l o c a l i n t e r m i t t e n tr e a c h e s .N e a r l y
a l l todhfrea i n a gtih
encsilsa s s i f i c a t i co ann
be
c h a r a c t e r i z e d a s i n c i s e ds t e e p - w a l l e ds t r e a mc h a n n e l s
4
with
s p a rvseeg e t a t i ofnl o, w irinengs p o nrtu
soen of fr fo m
are
p r e c i p i t a t i o nF, l o w s
short-lived,
as
c o n c e n t r a t i or n
e as c h
much
as
and t o t aslu s p e n d e d
400,000
mg/l
(U.S.
d a t a from numerous y e a r s ; see r e f e r e n c e s ) .
GeologicalSurvey
There is no e v i d e n c e( h y d r o l o g i c
tvhael lfel y
o oc rasn
use)
or h i s t o r i cl a n d
that
s u c c e s s f u lultyi l i zfeodr
be
a g r i c u l t u pr ar o
l d u c t iionnv o l v ifnl o
gior rdi g a t i o n
or
s u b i r r i g a t i opnr a c t i c e sT. h icso n c l u s i o n
u n p u b l i s h ei ndd e p e n d esnttu d i e s
Management
and
d i r e c t l y to
(i.e.
is s u p p o r t e d
by
of
the
Bureau
u s e i nt h e
i d e n t i f i c a t i o n ofprimefarmlands
for i r r i g a t i o n , a s
Land
relate
S oCiol n s e r v a t iSo enr v itchea t
a g r i c u l t u r alla n d
by
San
Juan
Basin
and s o i l s
suitable
well a s a l l u v i a l v a l l e y f l o o r s ) .
I n v e s t i g a t i o n si nS p e c i f i cD r a i n a g e s
San Juan River
The S a nJ u a nR i v e rS y s t e mi n c l u d e st h e
itself
and
F r u i t l a n d( K f )
the
Shumway
and
as
A r r o ytihones
Coal F i e l d (Map 1). TheSanJuanRiver
a
2 ) h abse ecnl a s s i f i eads
floor",
Westwater
San JuanRiver
discussed
earlier.
" p o t e n t i aall l u v i avla l l e y
Farming
activities
e x t e n s i v ei r r i g a t i o ns y s t e m s( e . g .F a r m e r sM u t u a lI r r i g a t i o n
are c l e a r l yv i s i b l e( F i g u r e
D i t c h and Jewett V a l l e yD i t c h )
2; Map 2 ) .
5
(Map
and
Shumway and. Westwater A r r o y o s a r e e p h e m e r a l ( e x c e p t f o r
waste w a t e rd i s c h a r g e
3).
Power P l a n t ;F i g u r e
from theSanJuan
The a r r o y oc h a n n e l as r ed e e p l yi n c i s e d
Due to
f r e e of v e g e t a t i o n .
Power
t h e San
Juan
Geological
Survey,
(U.S.
a c t i v i t i e s a t the
f r o mi r r i g a t i o n
water
q u a l i t cy a n o t
be
Water q u a l i t yr e c o r d si n d i c a t e
total
a s h i g ha s
d i s s o l v e ds o l i d s
generally
t h e waste water d i s c h a r g ef r o m
P l a n tt,h e
e v a l u a t e de f f e c t i v e l y .
and
9 , 6 0 0 mg/l and pH a s low a s
Water s u p p l i e d t o
1979).
lower endof
2.7
farming
comes
t h e Shumway d r a i n a g e
f a c i l i t i e s a l o n gt h eS a nJ u a nR i v e ra n dn o t
from t h e Shumway watershed.
are
These f i e l da r e a s
included
of t h e SanJuan
i nt h ep o t e n t i a la l l u v i a lv a l l e yf l o o ra r e a
R i v e r (Map 2 ) .
La P l a t a River
upper F r u i t l a n d
S t r e a mwsi t h it n
he
a l o ntgh e
La
(Kf)
P l a tR
a i v edr r a i n a gien c l u d e
R i v e r , Murphy and McDermott
both
'
La
Plata
floor (Map 3 ) .
P l a t aR i v e ra tF a r m i n g t o n
S t a t el i n e
show
and
p e r e n n i a lf l o w
are
s t a t i o nAsg. r i c u l t u ar ac lt i v i t i e s
t h r o u g htohue t
La
Arroyos
and
Cinder
Gulch.
The
La
t h e Colorado-New Mexico
field
the
L a P l a t a R i v e r is a p o t e n t i a l a l l u v i a l v a l l e y
D i s c h a r g er e c o r d sf o rt h e
coal
P lvaat la(lFe iyg u r e
4)
at
present
and
a
w e l l - e s t a b l i s h ei rdr i g a t i onne t w o rekx i s(t es . P
g .i o n e e r
Ditch,HighlandParkDitch,Greenhorn
Ditch).
D i t c h and
Cunningham
McDermott, CinderGulch(Figure
a r e ephemeral
streams
to
tributaries
are
5 ) and Murphy
t h e La
Plata
Arroyos
system.
The
i n c i s esdt ,e e p - w a l l ce h
d a n n ewl sistpha r s e
to
v e g e t a t i of lno, w iornneignsl yp o n s e
precipitation.
runoff
from
No i r r i g a t i o np r a c t i c e se x i s ta l o n g
any
of
is
t h et h r e ed r a i n a g e s W
. atew
r i t h i nt h ea l l u v i a al q u i f e r
a t a depthofabout
six
feet.
Water q u a l i t y is poor,with
t o t a l d i s o l v esdo l i dr se a c h i n g
as
as
high
mg/l
12,000
(Western Coal Company, 1980).
Chaco River
The ChacoRiverSystemincludesdrainageswithinthe
Navajo
(Kf),
Bisti
(Kf) , Toadlena
(Krnv) , Hogback
Newcomb (Kmv), S t a n d i n g Rock (Kmv) , ChacoCanyon
S t a r Lake (Kf) coal
f i e l d s (Map I;
Table 2 ) .
to
. eap
r eh e m e rfal ol ,w
r ei snpgo n s e
p r e c i p i t a t i o n( F i g u r e s
6-13)
,
s o l i d sa v e r a g ea b o u t
a t t e n times t h i s amount.
300 mg/l.
t h i s a r e ai n c l u d es p r e a d e r
of
which
a t thewestedge
more.
30,000 mg/l,
Total dissolved
and check dams.
is now beingused
There
or
i n t h e r e c e n th i s t o r i cp a s t .
o n a r e g i o n a ls c a l e
7
and
W a t e r - c o n t r o ls t r u c t u r e si n
dikes
no e v i d e n c et h a tf l o o di r r i g a t i o n
beenused
main stem
Most streams are i n c i s e d 1 0 f e e t or
Total suspended sediment is normallyabove
hasbeenreported
streams
Power P l a n t ,
and a s h o r t i n t e r m i t t e n t r e a c h
of Chaco
Canyon.
All
of a b o u t 30 c f s (U.S. G e o l o g i c a l
h a s a waste water baseflow
Surveydata)
(Kmfu) , and
runoff
from
e x c e p t for t h e
t h e ChacoRiverbelowtheFourCorners
(Kmv) ,
is
has
Small
plots
of
"dry
land"
farming
have
been
observed
one a c r e )b, utth e s eg e n e r a l l yd e p e n d
(commonly less t h a n
upon p r e c i p i t a t i o n and hand-carried water from wells
water source.
a
t h a ni r r i g a t i o na s
are a few
There
is being
conducted
along
Escavada
where
farming
Chaco River w h e r es h a l l o wa l l u v i a l
wells a r e used t o o b t a i n
For t h e most
or
a
water
deeperground
deliver
River
Chaco
to
enough
water
sustain
growing season.
significantagriculturalactivityduringthe
P o sht a, s
and
water f o r i r r i g a t i o n .
to
For example, De-Na-Zin
areas
Wash
p a r tw
, a t e r s h e d sw i t h i nt h e
system
a rneoatb l e
rather
Wash, l o c a t e ds o u t ho f
Trading
Bisti
miles.
d r a i n a gaer eo
1af8s4q u a r e
Water
r e c o r df o
st hr di sr a i n a gi n
e d i c at h
e falto wvsa ri y
n
when no flow
frequency and i n t e n s i t y ,w i t hl o n gp e r i o d s
water is recorded.
t h e De-Na-Zin
t o September
1979,
From October
1978,
g a g i n gs t a t i o nr e c o r d e d
a total discharge
Between
watershed
the 8992
of
acre-feet.
September, 3165 a c r e - f e e t was d i s c h a r g e d .
2650 a c r e - f e e to c c u r r e dd u r i n gt h em i d d l e
in
a c r e - f e eot c c u r r e d
July.
e n t i r e ldyu r i nt ghl ea s t
recorded i n
week
in
stressperiodssuch
to
Of 3165 a c r e - f e e t ,
15
through
July
May.
From
e v i d e n t h a ta g r i c u l t u r a la c t i v i t i e s
water
No
were
is
it
would r e q u i r es t o r a g e
as no f l o w p e r i o d s
the
p r o b a b l yo u t w e i g ht h ev i a b i l i t yo ff a r m i n g
high
which o c c u r r e d d u r i n g
of s t o r a g e f a c i l i t i e s
8
2
flows
t h idsa t a ,
s u s t a icnr o pt h
s rough
June and September.Theexpense
and
April
was r e c o r d e d , o c c u r r i n g
June
and
September.
f a c i l i t i e s €or
for
ofAugustand474
From April
( 7 9 days) , 2 1 a c r e - f e e t o f d i s c h a r g e
of
would
i n these a r e a s .
Puerco River
(Kmv)
Gallup
Streams itnh e
Puerco River,Defiance
Draw,
to
Wash, t r i b u t a r i e s
Tse
Burned Death Wash, Tse
Bonita
t r i b u t a r i e s to Coal Mine Wash,
e a s t and
west
forks
area
s t r e a mitsnh e
Wash,
Coal
Bonita
Mine
Wash,
Coal Mine Drainage,andthe
of Catalpa
River
Except f oPr u e r c o
coal f i e lidn c l u dteh e
Canyon
and p a r t
of
Coal
(Figures 14-16).
Mine
Drainage,
a reep h e m e r aw
l , i tdhe e p liyn c i s e d
c h a n n e lTso. tsauls p e n d seedd i m etin
hno
et r t h w e s t e r n
e p h e m e r adl r a i n a g e s
mg/l,
reportedbetween
is
1 0 , 0 0 0 and
90,000
and t o t a l d i s s o l v e d s o l i d s a r ea b o u t
Coal Company, 1979,
1980,
1981;
Pittsburg
and
Company, 1981).
flood
irrigation
No
a l o n gt h ee p h e m e r a d
l rainages,
d e eipnlcyi s e d ,
it
is
250 mg/l
(Carbon
Midway
Coal
practices were
found
so
and w i t hs t r e a mc h a n n e l s
d o u b t tfhual t
or
flood
any
s u b i r r i g a t i o nc o u l de x i s t .
Coal Mine
and
seeps
D r a i n a g fel o w isn t e r m i t t e n t l yf r o ms p r i n g s
is
a l otnchghea n n T
e lch.hea n n e l
incised
discontinuously
a as n
a r r o y ob, ulto c a l l y
t h e channel
c a p a b l e of overbankfloodinganddiversion
t o small
than 1 0 acre)
is
(less
f i e l d s . No d i s c h a r g er e c o r d sa r ea v a i l a b l e .
Water a n a l y s i sr e p o r t si n d i c a t et h eq u a l i t y
in
t o t a dl i s s o l v e ds o l i d s
S u l f a t e ( 5 0 4 ) and Sodium
h i g h (Amcoal, I n c . ,
the
neighborhood
is poor,having
of 4 0 0 0
mg/l.
(Na) c o n c e n t r a t i o n as r e x t r e m e l y
1978,1979,
1980).
9
The Puerco River was
to openingtheChurch
became
perennial
a majorephemeraldrainageprior
Rock uraniummines.ThePuercoRiver
with
flow
base
dependent
dewatering a t t h e Church Rock m i n e s andsewage
t h e Puerco
G a l l u pP.r e s e n t l y ,
about 3 . 0
March (U.S.
c f s and
peak
flows
upon
mine
t r e a t m e n ta t
flow
a base
River
has
occur between
December
and
G e o l o g i c aS
l u r v e yd a t a ) W
. a t e rq u a l i t yr e c o r d s
a r e scarce,
b ue tp i s o d imc o n i t o r i n g
by
Mexico
New
the
a l a r g ev a r i a t i o n
EnvironmentalImprovementDivisionshows
from
i n water q u a l i t y , p a r t i c u l a r l y a f t e r t h e t a i l i n g s s p i l l
t h e Church Rock area ( G a l l a h e r and Goad, 1981).
o fi r r i g a t i o n
Rivernear
of
No e v i d e n c e
s u b i r r i g a t i o n was foundalongthePuerco
or
Mentmore.
Rio Puerco
The L a
Ventana
Puerco system.The
(Kmv) c o afli e l d
is w i t h itnh e
Rio
Rio Puerco is i n t e r m i t t e n t i n t h i s a r e a ,
a s are some t r i b u t a r i e sf r o mt h ee a s t .D i v e r s i o n sh a v eb e e n
none is used now.
u s e df o ri r r i g a t i o ni nt h ep a s t ,b u t
Rio Puerco is i n c i s e d
a r ei n c i s e d
as
well.
below thestreambottom,
mg/l
up t o 35
f e e t , and
most
An a l l u v i aw
l a t e tra b l e
tributaries
exists
with total dissolvedsolids
v a l l e ys u r f a c e
to
t h e v e r t i c a ld i s t a n c e
just
of 1800
Basic
(Mining and M i n e r a l sD i v i s i o n ,1 9 8 0 ,1 9 8 1 ;I d e a l
I n d u s t r i e s , 1 9 8 0 , 1 9 8 1 ) ,b u t
The
fromthe
t h es t r e a mb o t t o mp r e c l u d e sa n yt y p eo f
subirrigation.
10
~~
The Arroyo Hondo,
can be
SanPabloandSanMigueldrainages
their
c o n s i d e r e idn t e r m i t t e n td, e r i v i n g
p r e c i p i t a t i o n , snow melt and
seepage.
All t h r e ed r a i n a g e s
h a v de e e p l iyn c i s e cd h a n n e l(salte a s t
2 0 f e e t )N
. atural
occur itnh e sder a i n a g e s .
f l o o idr r i g a t i o dn o ens o t
l a n d owner pumps water from
the
No discharge
a
or
available f o r t h e s e d r a i n a g e s .
' w a t e rq u a l i t yd a t aa r e
Arroyo- Balcon is anephemeraldrainage.
were
q u a l irteyp o r t s
is
suspended
sediment
to
i s n o ct o n s i d e r e d
n a t u r a l or g r a v i t y - f e di r r i g a t i o ns y s t e m .
water
One
t h e SanMigueldrainage
use; b u t h i s
v a l l e ys u r f a c ef o rc r o p
or
flow
from
t h o u g htto
found.
No
discharge
However,
total
be h i g hd u r i n gf l o w isn
r e s p o n s e t o r u n o f f r o mp r e c i p i t a t i o ne v e n t s .
A few
t a n k s e x i s t i nt h ew a t e r s h e d ,b u tn o r m a l l yt h e y
are d r y .
stock
Vermejo R i v e r
are p a rot f
D r a i n a g eitsnhR
e a t ocno af li e l d
Canadian
River
system
and
include
the
headwaters
of
the
CanadianRiver,
Vermejo R i v e r , York Canyon, S a l y e r s
Chimney Canyon,
C a l i e n t e Canyon,
Sawmill
Canyon,
Gachupin
Canyon, S a l t p e t e r
D i l l o n Canyon,
Canyon,
Raton
Spring
the
Canyon,
Canyon,
Canyon.
Vermejo
River is c o n s i d e r e d a p o t e n t i a l a l l u v i a l v a l l e y f l o o r
(Maps
C r e e k , and
1, 4 , 5 , F i g u r e s 1 7 - 2 2 ) .
11
Potato
Dawson
Canyon,
According to flowrecords,VermejoRiver
Water q u a l i t y
a b o u t 200
is good,
having
is
t o t a l d i s s o l v e sdo l i dos f
base
mg/l.
Suspended
sediment
in
the
g e n e r a l layb o u t
30 mg/l
perennial.
storm e v e n tpsr o d u c e
while
much
h i g hceor n c e n t r a t i o nAs .p p r o x i m a t e8pl y5e r c e n t
d i s c hoa cr gc u
e rs
between
p r e c i p i t a t i o n and snow m e l t
Dischargein
is i n t e r m i t t e n t
GeologicaS
l u r v e yd a t a ) .
(U.S.
i n t h ep a s t ,b u tn o n e
was
1 7 and 1 8 ) .
York Canyon and C a l i e n t e Canyon a p p a r e n t l y
p e r e n n i rael a c h e( F
s igures
with
Water q u a l i t y is good; t o t a ld i s s o l v e d
280 m l / l
from
September
and
I r r i g a t i o n p r a c t i c e s wereemployed
o p e r a t i n gi n1 9 8 0( F i g u r e s
(Kaiser Steel
19-21).
s o l i d s a v e r a g ea b o u t
C o r p o r a t i o n andMiningandMinerals
Division,
1980).
Discharge
records
are
poor
for
the
Canyon
drainage
C.anyon.
and
made
York
v i r t u a l lnyo n e x i s t e n t
A c t u a l s t r e a md i s c h a r g ec o m p u t a t i o n s
concerning
for
Caliente
were n o t
part
so no c o n c l u s i v ei n t e r p r e t a t i o n sc a n
of t h e p r e s e n ts t u d y ,
be
all
of
May
is
flow
the
s t r e a mpso’ t e n t i a l
to
support
s i g n i f i c aangtr i c u l t u raaclt i v i tSyt.r e acm
h a n n ealrse
i n c i s e d a s much a s 1 0 feet below t h ec a n y o nf l o o r s( F i g u r e s
18-20).
Appreciable
amounts
of
channels.
Because
flow
occurs
w aqtuear l i t y
is
s u b i r r i g a t i o na tl e a s t .
v e g e t a t li ionne
the
a tl e a s ti n t e r m i t t e n t l y
is
h itghhe ,r e
Further
p o t e n tfioarl
i n v e s t i g a t i o nn e e d s .
conducted to v e r i f y i r r i g a t i o n p o t e n t i a l ,
12
a
and
to
be
A l l o t h e r d r a i n a g e si nt h eR a t o nC o a lF i e l d
been
"areas
as
classified
(KTvr) have
c l e a r lnyoa tl l u v i av la l l e y
f l o o r sT" h. eisnec l u d
S ea l y e r s
Canyon,
Sawmill
Canyon,
Gachupin
Canyon,
S a l t p e t e r Canyon,
Canyon, Dawson
Canyon,
Creek, CanadianRiver
D i l l o n Canyon
Canyon and
(Figure
these streams
Canyon
are ephemeral.
Alluvium
Spring
Raton
drainages.
drainages,
is
extremely.
stream c h a n n e l s and stream c h a n n e l s
thininplacesalong'the
i n some
a r e c u t intb
oedrock
Canyon,
22),
P o t a t o Canyon
With t h e exception of Potato andCanadian
a l lo f
Chimney
a r e a sF. l o o dp l a i n lso c a l l y
are less t h a n 5 0 f e e t wide.Water
q u a l i t yr e c o r d s
for t h e s e
is f a i r .
s t r e a m sa r en o ta v a i l a b l e ,b u tp r o b a b l yt h eq u a l i t y
Discussion of Special Problems
A p p l i c a t i o n of the
far
crops
compared
with
(2)
New
two-acre-foot
suggested
the
o b t a i n i nw
g a t erri g h tfsodre v e l o p m e notf
p r e s e n t l yu n i r r i g a t e dl a n d ,
( 3 ) changes i n stream regime due
area
ot tohdeerv e l o p m teihnnet
dewatering),
identifying
(1) t h e a c t u a l amount of waterneeded
T h e s ei n c l u d e
criterion,
for
encounters s p e c i apl r o b l e m si n
a l l u v i a lv a l l e yf l o o r s
Mexico.
s u g g e s t e dc r i t e r i a
and
h y d r o l o g i cb a l a n c e
a l l u v i a lv a l l e yf l o o r
(4)
(i.e.
m i n i m i zdi insgt u r b a n c e s
uranium
to
mine
the
on and o f f mine sites, whether or n o ta n
is involved.
13
criterion discussed
The two a c r e - f e e t o f w a t e r p e r a c r e
i n the
AVF g u i d e l i n e s
is o p e r a t i n g a t n e a r
systememployed
However, few
may be
adequate
if
systems
operate
at
irrigation
the
100 percentefficiency.
100
p e r c e netf f i c i e n c y .
S p r i n k l e ri r r i g a t i o ns y s t e m s, n o r m a l l yo p e r a t ea ta b o u t
65
and f l o o di r r i g a t i o nd i t c h e so p e r a t ea t
p e r c e n te f f i c i e n c y ,
about 30 p e r c e netf f i c i e n c y
N e v i l l e , 1981,
(S.P.
written
c o m m u n i c a t i o n )U
. n i m p r o v e df l o o di r r i g a t i o nd i t c h e sc a n
expected to o p e r a t ea t
t heev a p o r a t i o n
structures.
have t o be
and
be
a l e s s e re f f i c i e n c y ,d e p e n d i n g
upon
i n f i l t r a t i ocnh a r a c t e r i s t i cost fh e
Thus,’ f o ra l f a l f a ,8 . 3a c r e - f e e to fw a t e r
diverted.
Corn
and
o t h ecrr o p s
would
would
require
approximately 6 a c r e - f e e t of w a t e r .
C o n s t r u c t i o no fs t r u c t u r e st os t o r ew a t e rc o u l de n h a n c e
t h e amount
in
a v a i l a b lfeoi r r i g a t i o n
marginal
areas.’
However, s t o r a g e o fw a t e rf o ri r r i g a t i o nr e q u i r e s
from t h e
S t a tEen g i n e ef rocro n s t r u c t i n g
appropriatw
i nagt e r
(New
personsinvolved
elsewhere i n
For t h e
a
most
wouldhave
Mexico
structures
and
1978).
The
Statutes,
to a c q u i r ee x i s t i n gw a t e rr i g h t s
t hhe y d r o l o g ibc a s i n(sS a Jnu a n
p a r tt h, e s e
p e r e n n isatlr e a m s
permit
rights
which
would
and
exist
have
Raton).
along
the
major
more
potential
for
p r o d u c t i v ea g r i c u l t u r et h a nm a r g i n al a n d sa l o n ge p h e m e r a l
channels.
As
tphree s ednits c h a ragleo tnPhgue e rR
c oi v e r
i n d i c a t e s ,f u r t h e r
mine dewatering andcommunitydevelopment
i n theregioncouldchange’manystreamsfrombeingephemeral
14
t o i n t e r m i t t e n t or
amid a f f e c t
t h ce l a s s i f i c a t i o n
of
t hset r e a m s
i r r i g a t i o n or s u b i r r i g a t i o n possible.
of m i n e water is n o t
1981) and
use
regime
p e r e n n i a lT. h icsh a n giefnl o w
and
make
However, t h eq u a l i t y
p a r t i c u l a r l y good ( G a l l a h e r and
permits
would s t i l l
h a vt eo
be
Goad,
obtained
b e c a u s et h ew a t e rh a sa l r e a d yb e e na p p r o p r i a t e d .
functions
and
m a i n t a i n i n g the h y d r o l o g i c b a l a n c e i n d r a i n a g e s d i s t u r b e d
by
P r o t e ce tsisneg
hnyt idarlo l o g i c
surface m i n ipnogsseev, edr iaflf i cpurlot b l e m s .
The
of
h y d r o l o gbiacl a nacfneudn c t i o n
s p e c i feipch e m e r a l
of a na l l u v i a l
s t r e a m as r ep o o r l yu n d e r s t o o dM
. aintenance
aquife.r
upstream
and
downstream
from
a mined
impossible d u r i n gt h e- p e r i o do fm i n i n g ,b u t
return to
T r a n s p o r to f
a r e a may
t h e system
be
may
n e abr a s e - l i n ce o n d i t i o nas f t em
r ining
ceases.
water and sedimentsthrough
mines must
be
conditions
downstream.
to
m a i n t a i n eiodnr d e r
sediment
production
from
mined
a r e a s may
may notneed
by t h e n a t u r a l s y s t e m .
by
b a l a n cbea s e - l i n e
Tihmi sp ltiheas t
m i n i m i z e d and t h a t w a t e r q u a l i t y
beyond t h a t p r o d u c e d
areas d i s t u r b e d
runoff
n o t need
and
to
be
t o beupgraded
PUBLISHED REFERENCES
G a l l a h e r , B.M.,
andGoad,
1981, Water q u a l i t y a s p e c t s
M.S.,
and m i l l i n g i n New Mexico, i n S.G.
ofuraniummining
Wells and W. Lambert,eds.,Environmentalgeologyand
hydrology i n New Mexico:
1 0 , p.85-92.
S p e c i a lP u b l i c a t i o n
Greenslade, W.M.
, 1980,
N e w Mexico G e o l o g i c a lS o c i e t y
Protectingalluvialvalleyfloors:
Dames and Moore E n g i n e e r i n g B u l l e t i n ,
p. 27-32.
New Mexico S t a t u t e s , 1 9 7 8 , A p p r o p r i a t i o n and use of s u r f a c e
water:
New Mexico S t a t u t e s 1978forNaturalResources
DepartmentAnnotatedVol.
U.S.
Congress, 1 9 7 7 , U n i t e dS t a t e ss u r f a c e
and r e c l a m a t i o na c t
U.S.
1 2 , Chapt.
of 1977:
7 2 , A r t i c l e 5 , p.
mining c o n t r o l
9 1 S t a t . 445-532.
GeologicalSurvey,1976a,Waterresourcesdatafor
New
Mexico, P t . 1 S u r f a c ew a t e rr e c o r d s ,r e p o r ty e a r
U.S.
Ann. Water-dataRept.
Geol.Survey
, 197613,
Water r e s o u r c e s d a t a f o r
Water q u a l i t yr e c o r d s ,r e p o r ty e a r
Ann. Water-dataRept.,
, 1976c,Water
year 1975:
U.S.
, 238
1974:
p.
New Mexico P t . 2 ,
1974:
U.S.
Geol.Survey,
2 9 1 p.
r e s o u r c e sd a t af o r
New Mexico,water
Geol.Survey,Water-dataRept.
NM-73-1,
, 1977a,Waterresourcesdatafor-NewMexico,water
year 1 9 7 5 :
PB-263,
U.S.
548/as,
, 1977b,
year 1976:
PB-277
Geol.SurveyWater-resourcesDataRept.
616 p.
Water r e s o u r c e sd a t af o r
Nat.Tech.
27.
New Mexico,water
I n f . Serv.Water-resourcesDataRept.
9 2 2 , 666 p.
16
617 p.
, 1979,
year 1978:
PB-80
Waterresourcesdata
Nat.Tech.
year 1979:
HD-80/069,
U.S.
Inf.Serv.Water-resourcesDataRept.
160 8 6 4 , 688 p.
,'1 9 8 0 ,
,
for New Mexico, water
Water r e s o u r c e s d a t a
U.S.
for New Mexico,water
Geol.SurveyWater-resourcesDataRept.
750 p.
House ofRepresBntatives,1977a,Surface
and r e c l a m a t i o na c t :
House Report 95-218,
I n t e r i o r and I n s u l a r A f f a i r s ,
, 1977b,
mining c o n t r o l
Committee on
1 9 9 p.
S u r f a c e mining c o n t r o l and r e c l a m a t i o n . a c t :
House Report 95-493,
CommitteeofConference,
17
116 pp.
UNPUBLISHED
REFERENCES
ON F I L E AT M I N I N G AND MINERALS D I V I S I O N
water r e p o r t s :
Amcoal, I n c . ,1 9 7 8 ,1 9 7 9 ,1 9 8 0 ,Q u a r t e r l ys u r f a c e
EarthEnvironmentalConsultants
CarbonCoal
Company, 1979,1980,Quarterlyhydrologicmonitoring
reports, Carbon Coal
Company
I d e a lB a s i cI n d u s t r i e s ,1 9 8 0 , 1 9 8 1 ,M o n t h l yd i s c h a r g em o n i t o r i n g :
I d e a l Basic I n d u s t r i e s
Kaiser Steel Corporation,1979,1980,1981,
York Canyon Mine s u r f a c e
Steel Corporation
watermonitoringdata:Kaiser
Water q u a l i t y a n a l y s i s - r e p o r t s
Mining and M i n e r a l sD i v i s i o n ,1 9 8 0 ,
inconjunctionwithalluvialvalleyfloordetermination
N e v i l l e ,S . P . ,1 9 8 1 ,I r r i g a t i o ne f f i c i e n c y :
S e r v i c ei nh o u s er e p o r t ,
U.S.
S o i l Conservation
Aztec D i s t r i c t O f f i c e .
P i t t s b u r g h and Midway CoalMiningCompany,l980,Hydrologic
m o n i t o r i n gq u a r t e r l y
reports:
P i t t s b u r g h and Midway Coal
Mining Company
U.S. S o i l C o n s e r v a t i o n S e r v i c e , S a n t a
Fe D i s t r i c t Office, no d a t e ,
Consumptive u s e r e q u i r e m e n t s for p a s t u r e andhaylands:
U.S.
S o i l ConservationService
Western Coal Company,, 1979,1980,
La P l a t a Mine s u r f a c e w a t e r
m o n i t o r i n gr e p o r t s :E a r t hE n v i r o n m e n t a lC o n s u l t a n t s
18
Table 1.
Guideline Criteria I n d i c a t i v eo fA l l u v i a lV a l l e yF l o o r s
S u r f i c i a l G e o l o g i c Criteria
1. A l l u v i a l v a l l e y f l o o r s
gravel, sand,
2.
are u n d e r l a i n b y n e a r l y h o r i z o n t a l d e p o s i t s o f
s i l t and c l a y which are deposited by streams.
An a l l u v i a l v a l l e y f l o o r
feet wideand
i s coursedby
0.5 f e e t deep.
a bankfull channel
a t least 3.0
3.
Valleywidth
4.
Low t e r r a c e s and d i s t a l p o r t i o n s of a l l u v i a l fans i n t e g r a t e d w i t h
modern streams i n lowland areas adjacent to
modern streams may be
included as p a r t s of a l l u v i a l v a l l e y f l o o r s .
i s g r e a t e rt h a n
50 f e e t .
.Hydrologic Criteria
1. The watershedmustbecapable
of p r o d u c i n g f l o o d i r r i g a t i o n o r h a v e
a
p o t e n t i a l f o r s u b i r r i g a t i o n which c o u l d s u s t a i n a g r i c u l t u r a l activities
(generally more than 2 acre-ft of water p e r acre f o r i r r i g a t i o n ; s h a l l o w
water t a b l e f o r s u b i r r i g a t i o n ) ,
2.
The natureof waters used f o r i r i i g a t i o n are of a q u a l i t y whichposes
no detrimental effect t o s o i l s o r p l a n t s .
3.
To t h ep o i n tt o
which i t i s economicallyfeasible,the
water t ob eu s e d
i n a manner which
f o r i r r i g a t i o n c a n be taken readily from the watershed,
d o e s n o t v i o l a t e state o r f e d e r a l laws, and w i l l n o t a d v e r s e l y a f f e c t any
downstream u s e r s .
4.
There is e v i d e n c e t h a t e i t h e r f l o o d i r r i g a t i o n o r s u b i r r i g a t i o n
regional practice.
is a
Vegetative Criteria
1. Abundant v e g e t a t i o n i n lowlands compared w i t ha d j a c e n t
2.
A g r i c u l t u r a l l y - u s e f u lv e g e t a t i o ni n d i c a t i v eo f
3.
Evidence ofrecenthayproduction.
areas.
a shallow water t a b l e .
Land-use Criteria (otherthanthosementionedabove)
1. Regionalpattern
of f l o o di r r i g a t i o no rs u b i r r i g a t i o n .
2.
S t a n d a r d sf o rw a t e ra p p l i c a t i o n
3.
Area of a l l u v i a l v a l l e y f l o o r g e n e r a l l y
must be consistent
with r e g i o n a l p r a c t i c e .
must be more t h a n 10 acres.
Exclusions
1. Colluvial and o t h e r s u r f i c i a l d e p o s i t s a l o n g t h e v a l l e y m a r g i n s
which are
h i g h e r t h a n t h e modern f l o o d p l a i n and "are n o t i r r i g a t e d by d i v e r s i o n of
are n o t s u b i r r i g a t e d byunderflow"
natural flow or ephemeral flood flow and
(U.S. House of Representatives, 1977a).
2.
Upland areas which a r eu n d e r l a i n
by t h i n c o l l u v i a l d e p o s i t s .
!
stream channels.
3.
Valleyswithout
4.
Areas where water q u a l i t y d a t a o r s o l i d s d a t a i n d i c a t e t h a t
long-term
degradation of t h e s o i l r e s o u r c e would r e s u l t in reduction of the
a g r i c u l t u r a l u t i l i t y of t h e a r e a .
5.
Undeveloped r a n g el a n d sn o ts i g n i f i c a n tt of a r m i n g .
6.
S m a l la c r e a g e sw i t h i no t h e r w i s e" c l e a r l yn o ta l l u v i a lv a l l e yf l o o r s " .
Table 2.
Drainagescheckedunderphase
Name ofCoal
F i e l d Area
F r u i t l a n dF i e l d
**
**
I of a l l u v i a l valley f l o o r d e t e r m i n a t i o n .
7% Minute Quadrangle
and Number
MapName
(Kf)
La P l a t a River
McDermott Arroyo
CinderGulch
Murphy Arroyo
Westwater Arroyo
Shumway Arroyo
San Juan River
La P l a t a (4-2)
La P l a t a (4-2)
L a P l a t a (4-2)
La P l a t a (4-2)
Waterflow (3-3)
Waterflow (3-3
Waterflow(3-3),Fruitland
The Hogback North (26-1)
(27-21,
Navajo F i e l d (Kf)
The Hogback North(26-l),
Chaco River
Pinabete Wash
Cottonwood Wash
Brimhall Wash
Chinde Wash
northern No Name (Tpotla)
southern No Name
The Hogback
South(26-4),
Newcomb XE (50-1),
Newcomb
SE
(50-4)
Newcomb NE (50-l), The P i l l a r NW (51-2)
TheHogback South(26-4),
K i r t l a n d SW (27-3)
Newcomb
SE
(50-4), Burnham TradingPost(51-3)
The Hogback North(26-l),Fruitland
(27-2)
.
The Hogback South (26-4)
Newcomb NE (50-1)
Bisti F i e l d (Kf)
Newcomb
SE
(50-41, Great Bend (74-1),
The P i l l a r 3 NW (75-2), The Pillar 3 NE
(75-1)
Newcomb SE (50-4), Burnham TradingPost
(51-3), Bisti TradingPost (51-4)
Chaco River
Hunters Wash
AlamoWash
(tributary to
De-na-zin)
De-na-zin Wash (CoalCreek)
Ah-shi-sle-pah Wash
Kimbeto Wash
Escavada Wash
ToadlenaField
NC
Alamo Mesa West (52-3),TannerLake
(76-2)
The P i l l a r 3 NE (75-l), Tanner Lake (76-2)
PuebloBonito NW (77-2), P r e t t y Rock (76-1),
Kin KlizhinRuins (76-4)
Kimbeto (77-l),PuebloBonito
(77-3)
PuebloBonito (77-3), Sargent Ranch (77-4),
F i r e Rock Well (77-3)
(Kmv)
Chaco River
Captain Tom
Wash
(others not checked)
Newcomb
SE
Newcomb
SE
(50-4)
(50-4),
Newcomd (50-3)
Table 2 (cont'd)
Hogback F i e l d (Kmv)
Chaco River (lower)
(others not checked)
ChacoCanyon
(2)
F i e l d (Kmfu)
Chaco River
NC
The Hogback North (26-l), ChimneyRock
Tsaya drainage
Kiiwne-ni-oli Wash
No Name t r i b u t a r i e s
Eastern Standing
TannerLake (76-21, L a VidaMission(76-3),
Kin KlizhinRuins(76-4),PuebloBonito
(77-3)
TannerLake(76-2),
P r e t t y Rock (76-1)
L a Vida Mission (76-3)
L a Vida Mission (76-3)
Rock F i e l d (Kmfl)
Orphan Annie Tank
tributaries
OrphanAnnie Rock (125-1)
Orphan Annie Rock (125-1)
S t a r Lake F i e l d (Kf)
Chaco Wash
Gallo Wash
Escavada Wash
Canada Alemita
Arroyo Pueblo Alto
Papers Wash
PuebloPintado (102-Z), PuebloAltoTrading
Post(lOZ-l),StarLake
(103-2)
PuebloBonito(77-3),Sargent
Ranch (77-4),
F i r e Rock Well (78-3)
PuebloBonito (77-3), Sargent Ranch (77-4),
F i r e Rock Well (78-3)
SE (78-4)
F i r e Rock Well (78-3),Lybrook
Pueblo Alto TradingPost (102-11, S t a r
Lake (103-2)
S t a r Lake (103-2)
La Ventana F i e l d (Kmv)
San Pablo(105-2),
SanPablo (105-2)
SanPablo (105-2)
Rio Puerco
Arroyo Hondo
San Pablo
GallupField
La Ventana (105-3)
(Kmv)
Puerco River
Defiance Draw
Burned Death Wash
Tse Bonita Wash
T r i b u t a r y t o Tse Bonita Wash
Coal Mine Wash(P&M)
Gallup West (121-4),Gallup
East (122-3),
Manuelito (145-2)
Tse Bonita School (121-2); Samson Lake
West (121-4)
(121-3),Gallup
Twin Lakes(121-l),Gallup
West (121-4)
Tse BonitaSchool(121-2),Zith-Tusayan
Butte 4 NE (A129-1)
Zith-TusayanButte 4 NE (A129-1)
Tse BonitaSchool(121-2),Zith-Tusayan
Butte 4 NE (A129-1)
Table 2 (cont'd)
(121-2), Zith-Tusayan
4 NE (A129-1)
(146-2)
Bread Springs(146-2)
Bread Springs (146-2)
Tributary
Coal
to
Mine
Tse
Bonita
School
Butte (P&M) Wash
Coal
Mine
drainage
(Sundance)
Bread
Springs
Catalpa Canyon
Catalpa Canyon east tributary
Raton Field (KTvr)
1
**'Grande
Casa
Vermejo
River
* YorkCanyon
(17). Cimarron ( 4 1 ) ,
Colfax (42-3)
Casa Grande(17)
Casa Grande (17)
Casa Grande(17)
Casa Grande (17)
(17)
Grande
Casa
(17)
(42-2), Colfax (42-3)
Salyers Canyon
.Chimney Canyon
* CalienteCanyon
Grande Casa Canyon
Sawmill
.
Gachupin
Canyon
.
Saitpeter
Sa1tpetc.r
canyon
Mountain
marron Canyon. Spring
Dawson Canyon
Dillon
Canyon
Tin
Raton Creek
Canadian River Canyon
Potato Canyon
**
*
(41)
Cimarron ( 4 1 ) , Saltpeter Mountain (42-2)
Pan Canyon (18-1), Raton (19-2)
Raton (19-2)
Casa Grande(17), McWilliams Canyon (18-2)
McWilliams Canyon (18-2)
Potential AVF, needs intermediate level investigations (Part
I1 OSM Guidelines).
Possibly notAVF, may need intermediate level investigations.
NC Not completely checked in this study
Drainages
not
marked
with
asterisks
or
NC are
"clearly
not
alluvial
valley
floors".
L i s t of Figures
1. Monthly discharge of monitored streams i n a r e !asofsurface-mineablecoal
i n New Mexico f o r t h e 1979 water year.
2.
San Juan River viewed downstream from outcrops
of Fruitland Formation
s u r f a c em i n e a b l ec o a l .I r r i g a t i o na g r i c u l t u r e
i s e x t e n s i v e andlongand on low t e r r a c e s a d j a c e n t
e s t a b l i s h e d on t h e a l l u v i a l v a l l e y f l o o r
t ot h i sp e r e n n i a ls t r e a m .
View towest.
3.
San Juan Power P l a n t and e f f l u e n t from coal treatment discharging
down
WestwaterArroyo,
t r i b u t a r y t o Shumway Arroyoand t h e San Juan River.
View n o r t h (10/14/80).
4.
La P l a t a R i v e r v a l l e y w i t h i r r i g a t e d f i e l d s a d j a c e n t t o t h e p e r e n n i a l
View s o u t h e a s t (10/14/80).
stream 1.5 milessouth of theColoradoborder.
5.
Junction of McDermott Arroyo ( r i g h t ) andCinderGulch,ephemeral
tributaries
1 0 t o 12 f e e t
t o t h e La PlataRiver.
These d r a i n a g e sp r e s e n t l ya r ei n c i s e d
i n t o a l l u v i a l fill. Modern a l l u v i u mc o n s i s t s of poorlysortedcobbles
and
sand. V i e w north (10/14/80).
6.
Channel of Chaco Wash (one of two ephemeralchannels) i n t h e h e a d w a t e r s of
t h e Chaco DrainagenearStar
Lake Pumping S t a t i o n . View northeast(10/17/80).
7.
ChannelofCanadaAlemita,anephemeral
t r i b u t a r y of Chaco Wash northwest of
PuebloPintado.
View northwest (10/16/80).
8.
Shallow wells on the margin of t h e f l o o d p l a i n ofEscavada Wash, n o r t h of
ChacoCanyon
National Monument.
View
northwest (10/16/80).
9.
Close up of shallow groundwater level in shallow well
i n deposits adjacent
t ot h ef l o o dp l a i n
of Escavada Wash.View
northwest (10/16/80).
10. Poorly-defined ephemeral drainage from
towardLaguna C a s t i l l o (10/17/80).
OrphanAnnieTank,
11.
Shallow groundwater beneath braided channel
Mission. View e a s ts o u t h e a s t (10/16/80).
12.
Brimhall Wash 2 miles upstream from
west northwest
of Chaco River near
Burnham, New Mexico,viewed
La Vida
to west
(10/15/80).
13.
Cottonwood Wash viewed e a s t from an outcrop of Fruitland Formation adjacent
and l e v e l s
t o t h e channel. Note a l k a l i e v a p o r i t e s a l o n g t h e a c t i v e c h a n n e l
(10/15/80).
of i n a c t i v e f l o o d p l a i n s
14.
PuercoRiverviewed
e a s t from Mentmore toward Gallup. Low q u a l i t y d i s c h a r g e
i n t h e s t r e a m comes fromuraniummines
i n t h e h e a d w a t e r s and from Gallup waste
watertreatment (12/11/80).
15.
Coal Mine Wash., t r i b u t a r y t o Tse Bonita Wash near Tse BonitaTradingPost.
V i e w northeast.Arroyowallsareabout
1 2 f e e t ' h i g h (12/10/80).
16.
BurnedDeath Wash viewed tosouthwesttowardCarbonCoal
p l a n t (12/11./80).
17.
Vermejo River and i r r i g a t e d p a s t u r e l a n d a t e a s t e r n
northwest (11/19/80).
18.
Valley ofVermejo
River viewed southeast (11/19/80).
'
Company's processing
end of VermejoPark.
View
List of Figures (cont'd)
19.
20.
21.
Mouth of York Canyon drainage viewed
to northwest. Water in stream is
primarily return flow from use of water pumped from Vermejo River
treatment facilities (11/19/80).
Area of springs in Sawmill-Cottonwood Canyon contributing flow to the
Caliente drainage. View northeast. The entrenched channel is ephemeral
(11/19/80).
upstream from the springs
Caliente drainage viewed to northwest upstream
at confluence with Chimney
Canyon (11/19/80).
22. Ephemeral drainage downstream through Dillon Canyon in the Brilliant
District (11/20/80).
to
coa
K
"I
I
o z*z
DISCHARGE:
ACRE-FEET
E
4
5
6
7
r
i
i
8
9
T
-..
..
11
k
I.
i
12
t
13
15
1
16
P
i
18
19
20
21
EXPLANATION
FOR
MAP I
(INPOCKET)
Potentialalluvialvalleyfloors
eu
Possiblynotalluvialvalleyfloors
.........
Drainagesclearlynotalluvialvalley'floors
EXPLANATION FOR MAPS 2,3,4, AND 5 ( I N POCKET)
hc)
w
=b
"
-e
Potentialalluvialvalleyfloors
Possibly
not
alluvial
valley
floors
Peripherallow-lyingareascapable
of irrigation
i
22
15
14
-I
38
39
.
-
62
63
83
86
87
107
I 10
59
.
"
...-&I.
I
i
I34
I35
0s
-..
158
I59
',
I..
L-.
I
L
CO
I78
182
jeras
20 2
203
183
.. .
**
206
207
20 8
231
23 2
"
226
227
230
!
250
25 I
252
253
"
I
254
2 55
25 6
279
28 0
"
"
2 74
275
276
277
278
R Jc nada c
"T
0
3298
Fie
299
,thage
eld
322
304
303
-
1
Sierra
328
327'
323
3lanca
346
Field
347
352
35 I
I
"
370
37 I
394
39 5
418
419
372
4 20
375,'
37 3
42 I
4 22
--
3?6'
399
400
423
424
"
.~
43 8
439
440
44 i
442
443
444
445
446
447
448
"_
462
1
463
464
4 65
466
467
470
471
472
MAP AND PHOTO NUMBERING SYSTEM
:--"
7
1
--_I
-2-27
3
4
UNITED STATES
MaD 2
Mdp 3
:.)i
'
I
,
1.1,
- , ,,
['
I
-,
..
._
.
C,?
Map 4
"-"
I
1000 "
0
I
.5
I mi
0
1000
2oW
.5
SCALE
3M30
4000
0
I : 24.000
So00
6000
7000 I t
I km
N-
Map 5