WATER RESOURCES OF TAOS COUNTY, NEW MEXICO By Lynn A. Garrabrant U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Water-Resources Investigations Report 93-4107 Prepared in cooperation with the NEW MEXICO STATE ENGINEER OFFICE, NEW MEXICO ENVIRONMENT DEPARTMENT, and NEW MEXICO BUREAU OF MINES AND MINERAL RESOURCES Albuquerque, New Mexico 1993 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR BRUCE BABBITT, Secretary U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Robert M. Hirsch, Acting Director For additional information Copies of this report can write to: be purchased from: District Chief U.S. Geological Survey U.S. Geological Survey Earth Science Information Center Water Resources Division Open-File Reports Section 4501 Indian School Rd. NE, Suite 200 Box 25286, MS 517 Albuquerque, New Mexico 87110 Denver Federal Center Denver, Colorado 80225 CONTENTS Page Abstract.................................................................. 1 Introduction.............................................................. 2 Purpose and scope.................................................... 2 Previous investigations.............................................. 2 Geographic setting................................................... 3 Climate.............................................................. 5 Geologic setting and mineral resources............................... 7 Water management..................................................... 9 Well-numbering system................................................ 9 Acknowledgments...................................................... 10 Ground-water resources.................................................... 11 Occurrence and movement.............................................. 11 Well characteristics................................................. 12 Springs.............................................................. 14 Water quality........................................................ 14 Standards....................................................... 16 Overview of prominent constituents .............................. 16 Surface-water resources................................................... 20 Occurrence........................................................... 20 Streamflow characteristics........................................... 20 Water quality........................................................ 26 Standards....................................................... 26 Overview of prominent constituents .............................. 28 Intensive stream surveys ........................................ 31 Lake studies.................................................... 35 Water use................................................................. 35 Irrigated agriculture................................................ 37 Mining............................................................... 39 Public water supply..................................................40 Domestic and commercial.............................................. 40 Other................................................................ 40 Summary...................................................................41 Selected references....................................................... 43 iii PLATES [Plates in back pocket] Plate 1. Geologic map of Taos County, New Mexico (2 Sheets) 2. Map showing location of wells and springs, water use, and water- level measurements from 1946 to 1991 in Taos County, New Mexico FIGURES Page Figure 1. Map showing location of Taos County study area and general physiographic subdivisions in the county.................... 4 2. Graphs showing average annual precipitation for period of record and 5-year moving average of annual precipitation at Cerro, Red River, Taos, and Tres Piedras weather stations. f .................................. 6 3. Diagram showing well-numbering system in New Mexico...........10 4. Diagram showing generalized west-to-east section across the Taos Plateau and the Costilla Plains in Taos County, New Mexico ................................ t ................. 12 5. Hydrographs showing water levels in selected wells in Sunshine Valley, 1955-90................................... .15 6-8. Maps showing: 6. Specific-conductance values in water samples from selected wells and springs............................. 17 7. Hardness, expressed as concentration of calcium carbonate, in water samples from selected wells and springs................................................. 18 8. Location of surface-water gaging stations, weather stations, and snow sites............................21 9-11. Graphs showing: 9. Mean annual discharge of three major tributaries of the Rio Grande..................................................23 10. Mean annual discharge, average discharge for 1931-89, and 5-year moving average of mean annual discharge for the Rio Grande at Embudo (08279500).............................23 11. Mean monthly discharge for the period of record at the Rio Hondo near Valdez and the Rio Grande at Embudo..........24 iv FIGURES--Concluded Page Figure 12. Graphs showing flow-duration curves for mean daily flows for (A) four tributaries of the Rio Grande; (B) the Rio Grande near Cerro and at Embudo; and (C) the Red River near Questa and at the mouth................................ 25 13. Map showing location of stream segments for which there are State water-quality standards and stream reaches intensively sampled by the New Mexico Environment Department...................................... 27 14. Map showing location of surface-water-quality stations ........29 15. Box plots showing specific-conductance values in the Rio Grande and tributaries of the Rio Grande............ 30 16. Box plots showing selected water-quality properties and constituents in the Red River: (A) specific conductance; (B) sulfate; (C) molybdenum; and (D) manganese............................................... 32 17. Pie diagrams showing depletions of water by category of use in 1990................................................. 36 18. Bar graphs showing water use in 1975, 1980, 1985, and 1990: (A) total withdrawals and depletions; (B) surface- and ground-water withdrawals; and (C) surface- and ground- water depletions............................................ 38 19. Pie diagram showing irrigated land by geographic area in 1990.. ......................................................39 TABLES Table 1. Climatological records for weather stations in Taos County, New Mexico................................................... 54 2. -Ranges in depths to water, well depths and yields, and surface geology by physiographic subdivision................. 55 3. Records of selected wells and springs in Taos County, New Mexico...................................................56 4. Geologic log records and water levels for selected wells in Taos County, New Mexico...................................... 60 5. Ground-water standards and regulations ......................... 65 6. Summary of water-quality analyses from wells and springs in Taos County, New Mexico...................................... 66 TABLES--Concluded Page Table 7. Water-quality analyses for selected wells and springs in Taos County, New Mexico...................................... 67 8. Active and discontinued gaging stations in or near Taos County, New Mexico........................................... 76 9. State water-quality standards for interstate streams in New Mexico as of May 22, 1991................................ 80 10. U.S. Geological Survey surface-water-quality stations 82 11. Summary of selected water-quality analyses from gaging stations and surface-water-quality stations .................. 83 12. Water use in Taos County, New Mexico, 1990--withdrawals and depletions by category................................... 86 CONVERSION FACTORS, VERTICAL DATUM, ABBREVIATED WATER-QUALITY UNITS, AND ACRONYMS Multiply By. To obtain inch 25.4 millimeter foot 0.3048 meter cubic foot per second 0.2832 cubic meter per second cubic foot per second 28.32 liter per second mile 1.609 kilometer acre 4,047 square meter square mile 2.590 square kilometer acre-foot 1,233 cubic meter acre-foot per square mile 476.1 cubic meter per square kilometer acre-foot per year 0.001233 cubic hectometer per year gallon per minute 0.06309 liter per second gallon per day 0.003785 cubic meter per day Temperature in degrees Fahrenheit ( °F) can be converted to degrees Celsius (°C) by using the following equation: C = - 32)/1.8 Sea level: In this report "sea level" refers to the National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929 --a geodetic datum derived from a general adjustment of the first-order level nets of both the United States and Canada, formerly called Sea Level Datum of 1929. VI CONVERSION FACTORS, VERTICAL DATUM, ABBREVIATED WATER-QUALITY UNITS, AND ACRONYMS--Concluded Abbreviated water-quality units used in report: mg/L milligrams per liter Mg/L micrograms per liter juS/cm microsiemens per centimeter at 25 degrees Celsius Acronyms used in report: MCL Maximum contaminant level NMSEO New Mexico State Engineer Office NMWQCC New Mexico Water Quality Control Commission SMCL Secondary maximum contaminant level USEPA United States Environmental Protection Agency USGS United States Geological Survey WATER RESOURCES OF TAGS COUNTY, NEW MEXICO By Lynn A. Garrabrant ABSTRACT Additional hydrologic data and a summary of existing data for Taos County were needed to assist in the management of the water resources. This report describes the occurrence, availability, and quality of ground and surface water in Taos County.