By Brittney Cannon
Deputy editor
bcannon@cnjonline.com
EPCOR presented to Curry County Commissioners the current state of Clovis’s groundwater supply, and the future appears rough.
According to EPCOR District Manager Brian Daly, since 2008, the well water supply has decreased drastically.
Daly said the total capacity for Clovis is currently 10.2 million gallons per day from 68 wells. In 2008, Daly said, those same totals were 15.2 million gallons per day from 28 wells. The average well capacity has also decreased from 350 gallons per minute to 100 gallons per minute.
“So, we have three times the amount of wells and lost 5 million gallons a day,” Daly said. “That’s also concerning.”
And, unfortunately, when the aquifer’s water levels drop, so does the quality of water, Daly said.
“When you start dropping those levels down, there’s a possibility of water quality changing,” Daly said. “Water quality, once it starts dropping down, that can change. Even down to the south I’m not seeing anything change, but we’re keeping a close eye on it. It just makes it harder, and we’re running out and the water (quality) we can get could possibly change. It’s a precious resource.”
However, consumers seem to be taking note and are backing off using too much water. Clovis’s water reuse program is also starting to pay off.
“As you can see, our conservation efforts are going great,” Daly said. “We’re at about 100, now 90 gallons per capita per day. That is super.”
According to Daly, water use has been decreasing since 2002, when peak demand was at 12.3 million gallons. In 2014, the peak demand has decreased to 8.6 million gallons of water.
“That’s unheard of,” Daly said. “But here again, the weather, cool days and rain spaced out just right; that was a big factor on this along with our conservation program.”
After Daly’s presentation, Curry County Commissioner Chet Spear spearheaded the questioning.
“You used the words ‘concern’ and ‘startling’ on the low levels of our water,” Spear said. “We have a serious issue. The things you say that startle me are the increase of wells and decrease of water. What kind of a trend are we looking at, say, 10 years from now?”
“If the trend continues, I don’t see us having 120 wells,” Daly responded. “The saturated thickness (depth of the water) is just dropping. Us managing the supply has been effective, but time will tell … That’s the definition of doing the same thing over and over and expecting something to change.”
Spear then asked if mandatory conservation efforts similar to the ones in California were a possibility.
“I don’t expect any mandatory conservation efforts, no,” Daly said. “But eventually something’s gonna have to put the brakes on it.”
Daly said that municipalities and the industrial sector are only using around 5 percent of the water — with the rest used for agriculture.
“And, quite honestly to give justice where it’s needed, the agricultural community is also seeing this and making efforts to change that culture,” Daly said. “They have to (find ways to improve efficiency); that’s how they make their living.”
Ray Mondragon of the Eastern Plains Council of Governments presented progress on research a water conservation team, which Spear serves on, has made on the water supply in Curry and Roosevelt counties.
“There are several issues the city isn’t aware of yet,” Mondragon said. “We have a team of hydrologists and geologists that have been coming into the city and county area.”
Mondragon said he has identified every single well in the area, and the team is going to select wells to inspect them for depth and saturation.
“What these geologists are doing from New Mexico Tech is coming in and testing certain areas and see what the water issues look like,” Mondragon said. “What we are planning is two-fold.”
According to Mondragon, the plan is to find a way to “better protect our water and preserve what we have now,” which includes the Ute Pipeline Project. Mondragon said the team is putting together data it has collected from the area into one consolidated water plan. Mondragon expects the final report to be finished by December.
“EPCOR, Cannon Air Force Base and a lot of folks are involved,” Mondragon said, adding he hoped for a group of Curry County, Roosevelt County, Clovis and Portales officials to attend a presentation by the University of New Mexico to share results.
EPCOR’s efforts to conserve water, Daly said, include educating the community through school programs like coloring contests and bringing in a magician for fourth-graders to watch, and ultimately talk about the overall Ogallala aquifer and water conservation.
“It’s really interesting and great for the schools,” Daly said.
EPCOR, Daly said, is also giving away flow constrictors and showerheads that reduce the amount of water consumers use. Rebates are also granted from EPCOR to customers who use water-efficient appliances and xeriscaping their landscapes. Rebates are open to customers starting in April and end in October, and is funded through “top tier,” or the “biggest water users.”
The uncomfortable conservation method, Daly said, is increasing water rates.
“As far as conservation, the more water you use, the higher your bill is,” Daly said. “Typically, people start backing off.”
