Pintada Arroyo Watershed (HUC8 13060002) Rapid Watershed Assessment Pintada Arroyo Watershed 1 Pintada Arroyo Watershed (HUC8 13060002) The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or a part of an individual's income is derived from any public assistance program. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA's TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD). 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USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. 2 Pintada Arroyo Watershed (HUC8 13060002) Table of Contents Overview ......................................................................................................................................... 4 Physical Setting ............................................................................................................................... 6 Precipitation .................................................................................................................................. 10 Land Ownership ............................................................................................................................ 11 Land Use / Land Cover ................................................................................................................. 13 Hydrology ..................................................................................................................................... 17 Threatened and Endangered Species ............................................................................................ 20 Invasive Species ............................................................................................................................ 20 Common Resource Areas ............................................................................................................. 21 Conservation ................................................................................................................................. 23 Soil Resource Inventory ................................................................................................................ 24 Socioeconomic Data ..................................................................................................................... 28 References ..................................................................................................................................... 29 List of Tables Table 1. Pintada Arroyo watershed acreage distribution. ............................................................... 5 Table 2. Land ownership in the Pintada Arroyo watershed. ......................................................... 12 Table 3. Extent of NLCD classes in the Pintada Arroyo watershed. ............................................ 14 Table 4. SW Region Gap analysis ecosystem acreages. ............................................................... 16 Table 5. NHD Water Course Type and Extents ........................................................................... 17 Table 6. Threatened and Endangered Plant and Animal Species ................................................ 20 Table 7. Invasive Species Recognized by the SWEMP ............................................................... 20 Table 8. 5 year Trends in Applied Conservation Practices. Reported in Acres. ......................... 23 Table 9. 5 year Trends in Location Specific Applied Conservation Practices. Reported in Feet if linear (i.e. fence) ........................................................................................................................... 23 Table 10. Criteria Used for Soil Erosion Susceptibility Model ................................................... 25 Table 11. Soil Erosion Potential Model Results. ....................................................................... 27 Table 12. Socioeconomic Data of Counties in the Watershed (2000). ........................................ 28 List of Figures Figure 1. Pintada Arroyo watershed overview. ............................................................................. 4 Figure 2. Hydrologic Soil Group ................................................................................................... 8 Figure 3. Pintada Arroyo watershed shaded relief. ........................................................................ 9 Figure 4. Pintada Arroyo watershed annual precipitation. .......................................................... 10 Figure 5. Pintada Arroyo watershed land ownership. .................................................................. 11 Figure 6. Subset of the National Land Cover Dataset. ................................................................ 13 Figure 7. Subset of the SWREGAP over the Pintada Arroyo watershed. ................................... 15 Figure 8. National Hydrologic Dataset of the Pintada Arroyo. ................................................... 18 Figure 9. Declared Groundwater Basins of the Pintada Arroyo. ................................................. 19 Figure 10. Common Resource Areas of the Pintada Arroyo. ...................................................... 21 Figure 11. National Cooperative Soil Survey coverage of the Pintada Arroyo Watershed. ........ 24 Figure 12. Pintada Arroyo Watershed Erosion Potential ............................................................. 26 3 Pintada Arroyo Watershed (HUC8 13060002) Overview Figure 1. Pintada Arroyo watershed overview. 4 Pintada Arroyo Watershed (HUC8 13060002) Overview The Pintada Arroyo Watershed is located in east central New Mexico and covers 658,727 acres (2,666 sq. km). Portions of the Pintada Arroyo watershed extend into Guadalupe, San Miguel, and Torrance counties. Table 1 summarizes the distribution of the Pintada Arroyo watershed. Co. Acres Acres in % of HUC in % of Co. in COUNTY Total HUC Co. HUC Guadalupe 1,938,741 342,966 52 18 San Miguel 3,028,614 50,297 8 2 Torrance 2,139,981 265,464 40 12 Sum (∑) -- 658,727 100 -- Table 1. Pintada Arroyo watershed acreage distribution. 5 Pintada Arroyo Watershed (HUC8 13060002) Physical Setting Geology: The Pintada Arroyo watershed lies in the Pecos River Section of the Great Plains Province. Geologically, the bedrock consists of Permian and Triassic aged sedimentary rocks. The upper portion of the watershed contains Triassic sedimentary rocks which have not been individually classified due to their non-distinct nature. These rocks consist of sandstone, siltstone, and mudstone. Also found in this area are Permian aged rocks including the San Andres Limestone, the Glorieta Sandstone, and shales and sandstones of the Yeso Formation. The middle and lower portions of the watershed have exposures of Triassic aged formations consisting of the Santa Rosa Sandstone and the Chinle Shale. Permian aged rocks include the sedimentary rocks of the Artesia Group. These Permian aged rocks consist of shales, limestones and sandstones, but have not been divided into distinct formations. The watershed is formed from sedimentary rocks including sandstone, limestone, siltstone, mudstone and shale. The softer materials will weather at a more rapid rate than those formed from the limestone and sandstone. Erosion of these rocks can occur with water and wind. Salts will be present in all of these materials which may have an adverse effect on the water quality. The arroyo is generally dry during most times of the year, and acts as a drainageway during significant precipitation events. The arroyo eventually joins with the Pecos River. Resource concerns are high sediment erosion. In addition the lowering of valleys by river incision is a continuing process. Rivers respond by aggrading during climates that promote large sediment yield and large, stable discharges; and incise during climates that produce flashy flows and reduce the sediment supply. Groundwater quality and quantity is a concern. Depth to groundwater is a concern if the shallow unconfined aquifer does not produce enough water for the resource or increased population demands are ‘mining’ the water. Groundwater in the limestone is usually along fracture zones which are hard to intercept with water wells. Groundwater quality ranges from good to fair for livestock or crops. Pintada Arroyo Watershed (HUC8 13060002) Soils: Hydrologic soil groups are based on estimates of runoff potential. Soils are assigned to one of four groups according to the rate of water infiltration when the soils are not protected by vegetation, are thoroughly wet, and receive precipitation from long-duration storms. The soils in the Pintada Arroyo are assigned to four groups (A, B, C, and D). Group A. Soils having a high infiltration rate (low runoff potential) when thoroughly wet. These consist mainly of deep, well drained to excessively drained sands or gravelly sands. These soils have a high rate of water transmission. Group B. Soils having a moderate infiltration rate when thoroughly wet. These consist chiefly of moderately deep or deep, moderately