Arch Hurley board votes not to allocate water

The Arch Hurley Conservancy District board again voted last week to not allocate water to its irrigation canals as Conchas Lake continued to shrink due to summer heat and a prolonged drought.

District manager Franklin McCasland reported during the board’s June 14 meeting the lake’s elevation was 4,158.8 feet that morning, which was nearly a foot lower than the previous month’s 4,159.7 feet.

Conchas Lake received just 896 acre-feet of inflow during the month of May, with 3,706 acre-feet in evaporation and other losses.

The board’s vote was largely academic, but official action often is needed so area farmers can make a better case for their crop-insurance claims.

Arch Hurley typically does not discharge water until the Conchas Lake’s level rises to 4,174 feet. The district is mired in the second straight growing season of not allocating water to its irrigation canals because of persistent drought.

The district can pump water from the lake using diesel engines but must stop once its level drops to 4,155 feet. Due to the relative lack of water available and high fuel prices, McCasland and the board previously agreed that pumping from the lake would not be feasible.

Almost all of eastern New Mexico as of June 16, including Quay County, was in exceptional drought conditions, which is the worst rating by the U.S. Drought Monitor.

In other business:

• McCasland said he would contact the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation about the possibility of using federal infrastructure funds to line Arch Hurley’s canal system with concrete.

Board member John Griffiths noted billions in infrastructure money sit unused, and he suggested using that to install concrete linings in Arch Hurley canals.

“It’d be a good time to do it,” Griffiths said, noting the canals are not being used.

McCasland acknowledged such linings would lessen saturation losses in the canals, especially during drought conditions.

• On June 1, Dan Austin CPA of Ruidoso conducted an exit conference on Arch Hurley’s audit for fiscal year 2021. The audit has been submitted to the state auditor’s office for review.

• The board approved a plan by Love’s Travel Center in Tucumcari to buy 580 feet of irrigation pipe and have Arch Hurley employees install it. The pipe would be placed in an existing irrigation ditch.

McCasland said he hadn’t heard from a Love’s regional manager when the pipe would arrive, though he noted it takes as long as 120 days for delivery.

• McCasland said in his report that well water of the district’s D-unit house on Quay Road 57 last month tested negative for E.coli, but officials recommended the well and pressure tank be sterilized to remove a bad smell.

• McCasland said the district has requested its capital outlay severance tax bonds be sold in the first round of sales. Regarding its 2021 capital outlay, the state Department of Finance and Administration requested Arch Hurley wait to accept delivery of its new Bobcat until after July 1 because the agency wants no outstanding invoices in that fiscal year. McCasland said that probably wouldn’t be a problem, as the Bobcat dealer hasn’t yet contacted him.