Saline-Water Resources of New Mexico
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Saline-Water Resources of New Mexico By JAMES W. HOOD and LESTER R. KISTER GEOLOGICAL SURVEY WATER-SUPPLY PAPER 1601 UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON : 1962 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR STEWART L. UDALL, Secretary GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Thomas B. Nolan, Director The U.S. Geological Survey Library has catalogued this publication as follows: Hood, James Warren, 1925- Saline-water resources of New Mexico, by James W. Hood and Lester B. Kister. Washington, U.S. Govt. Print. Off., 1962. iv. 70 p. maps, diagrs., tables. 24 cm. (U.S. Geological Survey. Water-supply paper 1601) Part of illustrative matter folded in pocket. Bibliography: p. 34-38. 1. Saline waters New Mexico. 2. Water-supply New Mexico. 3. Water, Underground New Mexico. I. Kister, Lester Ray, 1923- joint author. (Series) For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Washington 25, D.C. CONTENTS Page Abstract__ _____________________________________________________ 1 Introduction ______________________________________________________ 2 Purpose and scope______________-______--______________________ 2 Source of data________________________________________________ 3 Well-numbering system________________________________________ 3 Chemical analyses of water______-____-____________-____________ 4 Definition of saline water_______________________________________ 6 Causes of mineralization______________________________________ 7 General geology and saline-water aquifers__________________________ 8 Pennsylvanian system_ ____________________________________ 12 Permian system_______________________________________________ 13 Abo formation...________________________________________ 15 Yeso formation__________________________________________ 15 Glorieta sandstone_______________________________________ 17 San Andres limestone______________________________________ 17 Guadalupe series-___--_----_____-____-____---------__---_- 18 Capitan limestone___________-______________-________ 19 Castile formation__________________________________________ 19 Rustler formation.________________________________________ 20 Triassic system______________________________________________ 20 Dockum group____________________________________________ 20 Jurassic system_____________________________________________ 21 Cretaceous system.____________________________________________ 22 Dakota sandstone_________________________________--__ 22 Upper Cretaceous series___-_-----_-____--------_____-__ 23 Tertiary system________________________________________.__ 24 Paleocene series___--_________-___-_____-_-________--_- 24 Nacimiento formation____________________________ 24 Pliocene series_______________________________________ 26 Ogallala formation_________________________________ 26 Tertiary and Quaternary systems__________________________ 26 Santa Fe group and related bolson fill____________________ 26 Quaternary system________________________________________ 28 Pleistocene and Recent alluvial and eolian deposits-_______ 28 Saline surface water_____________________________________________ 29 Canadian River basin__________________.___________________ 30 Rio Grande basin____________________________________________ 31 Rio Puerco and Rio Salado-_____-_-_-___-__-----_---------- 31 Rio San Jose__________________________________________ 32 Pecos River basin_____________________________________________ 32 San Juan River basin__________________________________________ 33 Saline lakes and reservoirs___-_________________________________- 33 Selected references_______________________________________________ 34 Basic data._____--____-_-_____-__________-__________---________-_- 39 Index______________________________________ ._________ 69 in IV CONTENTS ILLUSTRATIONS [Plates are in pocket] PLATE 1. Location of wells and springs sampled and areas of outcrop of rocks of Pennsylvanian age. 2. Location of wells and springs sampled and areas of outcrop of the Abo and Yeso formations. 3. Location of wells and springs sampled and areas of outcrop of the Glorieta sandstone, San Andres limestone, and Guadalupe series. 4. Location of wells and springs sampled and areas of outcrop of the Dockum group of Triassic age and of rocks of Jurassic age. 5. Location of wells and springs sampled and areas of outcrop of the Dakota sandstone and of the Upper Cretaceous series. 6. Location of wells and springs tapping the Santa Fe group and related bolson fill. 7. Location of wells and springs tapping Pleistocene and Recent alluvial and eolian deposits. 8. Map of New Mexico showing location where saline surface water was sampled. Page FIGUBE 1. Well-numbering system.________-____-_________>_________ 4 2. Map of New Mexico showing physiographic, structural, and geographic features._______-__--__--____-___^--_--____- 3. Map of Eddy County showing location of wells and springs sampled and areas of outcrop of the Capitan limestone, Cas tile formation, and Rustler formation ____________________ 14 4. Location of wells sampled and areas of outcrop of the Naci- miento formation_____________________________________ 25 5. Location of wells sampled and areas of outcrop of the Ogallala formation..______________-_-________---__---___--_--- 27 TABLES Page TABLE 1. Chemical analyses of saline ground water in New Mexico_____ 40 2. Records of saline-water wells and springs in New Mexico.____ 49 3. Chemical analyses of saline surface water in New Mexico. __ 62 4. Records and stream data of saline surface water in New Mexico- 65 SALINE-WATER RESOURCES OF NEW MEXICO By JAMES W. HOOD and LESTER R. KISTEB ABSTRACT Use of fresh water in the United States is increasing markedly. To add to the future supply, work is being done to develop economically feasible methods of converting saline water into fresh water. The supplies of saline water must be studied to determine the quantity and quality of water and the areas in which it is available. Water is classified herein as saline if it contains more than 1,000 ppm (parts per million) of dissolved solids. The degree of water salinity in terms of dissolved solids is defined as slightly saline (1,000 to 3,000 ppm), moderately saline (3,000 to 10,000 ppm), very saline (10,000 to 35,000 ppm), and brine (more than 35,000 ppm). Parts of most aquifers in New Mexico contain saline water, and some of the aquifers can yield large quantities of saline water to wells. The aquifers con sidered herein range from Pennsylvanian to Recent in age. The Pennsylvanian rocks generally yield small to moderate quantities of saline water. The Yeso formation and the San Andres and Capitan limestones of Permian age yield large quantities of water to wells mainly in or near the Pecos Valley. The Yeso and some other Permian rocks contain large amounts of evaporites, the solution of which contributes to the salinity of water in much of the State. Most of the Triassic and Jurassic rocks in New Mexico are fine grained or well cemented and are poor aquifers. In many areas they yield only small quantities of saline water. Rocks of Cretaceous age crop out in, or underlie, about 30 percent of New Mexico. A relatively thin section of them, belonging mainly to the Dakota sandstone, yields small to moderate quantities of saline water. The Upper Cretaceous series is 3,000 to more than 5,000 feet thick and generally yields small to moderate quantities of fresh to moderately saline water. Tertiary aquifers include the Nacimiento formation in the San Juan basin, which probably can yield moderate quantities of saline water, and the Ogallala formation on the High Plains, which contains some saline water in southern Lea County. In central and southwestern New Mexico, several thousand feet of Tertiary and Quaternary rocks partly fill intermontane basins. The fill forms some of the largest saline-water reservoirs and in many parts of the State it can yield large quantities of saline water. Quaternary rocks mantle most of New Mexico, but yield large quantities of saline water only in the valleys of the Pecos River and the Rio Grande. Saline surface waters are important irrigation supplies in New Mexico, especially in the Pecos Valley. The Pecos River is slightly saline at Puerto de Luna and moderately saline at Red Bluff, N. Mex. 1 2 SALINE-WATER RESOURCES OF NEW MEXICO The Rio Grande, Canadian, and San Juan Rivers generally are fresh, but they receive saline water occasionally from intermittent tributaries and possibly from a few perennial tributaries. Saline reservoirs in New Mexico are Alamogordo Reservoir and Lakes McMillan and Avalon, all on the Pecos River. Many small permanent and ephemeral lakes in New Mexico also contain saline water. INTRODUCTION Use of fresh water for domestic, industrial, and irrigation purposes is increasing rapidly in the United States. In most areas in New Mexico the total available supply of fresh water is now utilized, and in some places the demand for fresh water already exceeds the supply. In a few places only saline-water supplies are available. Because a shortage or lack of fresh water is a deterrent to economic expansion, serious consideration now is being given to augmenting fresh-water supplies by converting saline water into fresh water. PURPOSE AND SCOPE Since about 1952 the U.S. Department of the Interior has been investigating economically feasible processes for converting saline water into fresh water. An integral part of the Saline-Water Con version Program is the acquisition of information of the saline-water resources of the Nation. Such knowledge is required for two