Data Series 884
AbstractThe U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the New Mexico Environment Department, compiled data from various sources to develop a dataset that can be used to conduct an assessment of the total dissolved solids in surface water and groundwater of the Palomas, Mesilla, and Hueco Basins in New Mexico and Texas, from below Caballo Reservoir, N. Mex., to Fort Quitman, Tex. Data include continuous surface-water discharge records at various locations on the Rio Grande; surface-water-quality data for the Rio Grande collected at selected locations in the Palomas, Mesilla, and Hueco Basins; groundwater levels and groundwater-quality data collected from selected wells in the Palomas and Mesilla Basins; and data from several seepage investigations conducted on the Rio Grande and selected drains in the Mesilla Basin.
IntroductionSalinization of surface water and groundwater in the Rio Grande Basin has been recognized as a concern for water managers and water users for more than 100 years because of the potential to limit agricultural and municipal use (Moyer and others, 2013). Dissolved solids concentrations are more than five times greater in the Rio Grande at Fort Quitman, Texas, than about 250 miles upriver below Elephant Butte Reservoir, New Mexico. Major sources of salinity in the Rio Grande include the discharge of saline groundwater and mineral dissolution, with small contributions from evaporative processes and wastewater discharge to the river (Moyer and others, 2013). Changing hydrologic conditions in the Rio Grande Basin, such as reduced surface-water flows caused by drought conditions and lower groundwater levels caused by increased withdrawals, will likely result in changes in the concentration of dissolved solids in groundwater and surface water in the Rio Grande Basin, which could adversely affect agricultural, municipal, and environmental uses. Water Quality, Discharge, and Groundwater Levels in the Palomas, Mesilla, and Hueco BasinsThe U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED), compiled water-quality, discharge, groundwater-level, and seepage data to develop a dataset that can be used to conduct an assessment of the total dissolved solids in surface water and groundwater of the Palomas, Mesilla, and Hueco Basins in New Mexico and Texas, from below Caballo Reservoir, N. Mex., to Fort Quitman, Tex. (fig. 1; tables 1–7). Data were collected in conjunction with several monitoring projects conducted by the USGS and other Federal, State, and local agencies, including continuous surface-water discharge records at various locations on the Rio Grande; surface-water-quality data for the Rio Grande collected at selected locations in the Palomas, Mesilla, and Hueco Basins; groundwater levels and groundwater-quality data collected from selected wells in the Palomas and Mesilla Basins; and data from several seepage investigations conducted on the Rio Grande and selected drains in the Mesilla Basin. Though salinization increases in the Rio Grande downstream from the headwaters (Moyer and others, 2013), this study focuses on the area from below Caballo Reservoir, N. Mex., to Fort Quitman, Tex. (fig. 1). Data collected by the USGS have been reviewed and finalized by following standard USGS protocols (U.S. Geological Survey, 2006; Wagner and others, 2006; Turnipseed and Sauer, 2010; Cunningham and Schalk, 2011; Wilde and Radtke, variously dated). Data collected by other agencies are assumed to have been reviewed for accuracy and correctness by the source agency. Selected data from the Bureau of Reclamation and NMED are available through the USGS National Water Information System (NWIS) database (http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis); data obtained from other agencies are coded with the name of the source agency (tables 1–7). Station numbers are USGS station identification numbers unless otherwise indicated (tables 1–7). AcknowledgmentsThis report was prepared in collaboration with the New Mexico Office of the State Engineer. 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First posted November 4, 2014
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McKean, S.E., Matherne, A.M., and Thomas, Nicole, 2014, Water quality, discharge, and groundwater levels in the Palomas, Mesilla, and Hueco Basins in New Mexico and Texas from below Caballo Reservoir, New Mexico, to Fort Quitman, Texas, 1889–2013: U.S Geological Survey Data Series 884, https://dx.doi.org/10.3133/ds884.