The high desert and the drought

Throughout the Southwest's history, few topics have generated more passion than water. Water supplies are finite. Today battles are fought by lawyers with briefcases rather than water users with six-guns, although an occasional fist fight does occur.

Now comes the term ?Acequia?, or Ditch. Here in Tularosa the Acequia Madre, (Mother Ditch), or Main Ditches, are arpx three feet wide and three feet deep. Lateral ditches are somewhat smaller. Metal culverts carry the water under streets where the street crosses a ditch. Sluice gates are used to direct the flow of water. These ?gates? many times are no more than piece of plywood board placed across the ditch bed to dam and turn the water into a lateral. Nothing high tech.

People have been having water "discussions" for quite some time. Among the first were acequias or "ditch associations." Probably the association in longest continuous operation began in here in Tularosa. In 1862, a group of seven families began setting up the distribution of water via hand dug acequias, most of which are yet in use today. As the numbers of families grew the numbers of additional ditches also increased. Ditches were also dug to supply water to parcels of farm land outside of the Village. When the Village was first surveyed and registered, it was these properties that were assigned ?water rights?. This section of properties is now commonly referred to as the ?historic district? which is also registered.

The Tularosa Association is also believed to be the only adjudicated system in New Mexico. Legal action has been taken to protect a ?water right? and to ensure it is properly recognized. It is recorded, show's on a title search, and runs with the property.

The Tularosa Community Ditch Corporation is a nonprofit corporation which became official in 1909 - even before New Mexico became a state. Its mandate is to see that water goes from its source, which is are springs up in the mountains, to those who own ?water rights?, or ?shares? in the Association. Share holders pay an annual fee to the Association to pay the salary of the ?Ditch Boss?, and for the maintenance of the Acequia Madres. My fee this year was $24.

The ditch boss, also referred to as a mayordomo knows which gates to flip between the acequia madres to regulate exactly where the water goes. Individual share holders get irrigation water from approximately April 1 to the end of September, depending on the weather, and are responsible for the maintenance of the laterals and changing of gates on their day of use. Cooperation between users is absolutely necessary to make it all work.

Irrigation water is shared between the residents of the historic district of Tularosa, probably less than a quarter of the homes, and farmers operating parcels outside of the Village that fall within the limits of the Association. These ?water rights? are historic in nature. Water Rights are not available beyond the historic registers.

I?m scheduled for water on the afternoon of every other Monday. It takes me aprx an hour to flood the entire yard, half acre, to a depth of four or five inches. It will have completely saturated and disappeared from the surface in about two hours. Necessarily, if drought conditions worsen, and the water source deteriorates or disappears, these ?water rights? won?t mean much. We will then have to use garden hoses and city water, and observe the watering rules/restrictions of the ?common folk?.

In order to retain as much use from the water as possible,have you considered putting impermeable liner under the grassed areas so it can't easily percolate away too quick into the subsoil below root zones? If liner is laid with an upturned edge, but leaving open around the trees, then any excess will be directed to the trees whose roots reach deeper. It involves scraping a foot deep and replanting but very effective for getting much more from water supply in a porous soil.

Del and his fellow members decide how much each piece gets per season. If his allotment runs low he decides whether to sacrifice the lawn for the alfalfa (if any). No widows and orphans die of thirst because of his lawn. In fact, any widows and orphans would be taken care of [we hope] better than in a big-city welfare system.

Good point about the impermeable layer. The ditches up here in mid-State have nothing. The storm drains off the hills- much newer- are concrete. I'm told the ancients, about 1000 years ago, did line their ditches; so much for evolution!