Michael J. Darr
Published: 2000
Total Pages:
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"Ground-water resources of the proposed Blue Hills subdivision were investigated. Pump tests from two wells located within the boundaries of the subdivision were used to help characterize the main aquifer beneath the study area, which is composed of permeable zones (sandstones, sandy intervals, and/or coal zones) in the Crevasse Canyon formation. The aquifer beneath the proposed subdivision contains sufficient groundwater to meet the maximum annual water requirement of 51.8 AFA (about 32 gpm). Model results show that full development of the subdivision would result in a maximum of about 27 feet of drawdown over a period of twenty years. This drawdown is conservatively calculated and uses an additional safety factor of 15% as required by Catron County regulations. Existing wells would not be depleted, nor are effects on springs and streams expected. The anticipated effects would mean that the decline rate would be about 1.3 feet per year, and if wells were drilled to a total depth of 100 feet below the water table then the remaining saturated thickness would be just over 70%. It is anticipated that individual well yields from the shallow aquifer will be on the order of 1 to more than 10 gpm, based on pump testing done on the subdivision. This production rate is adequate to meet the needs of single-family homes for the next 20 years -- about 312 gallons per day, of 0.216 gpm. If well yields are low, it is possible that more than one well would have to be drilled on a single lot in order to provide sufficient production for a single family's use. In the Crevasse Canyon Formation, attention must be paid to will completion techniques, with proper gravel pack and prefabricated well screen, to enhance formation production in the finer grained [sic]."--Executive summary, p. 1.