On Monday. March 18th, a meeting of the mayordomos of acequias drawing on the Santa Cruz Reservoir was held at the SCID offices. Joel Esquibel, the dam tender reported the snowpack looks good, between 100-110% of normal. He is cracking the valve now to keep the water level five foot below the top. Over the next few weeks the water level will be allowed to drop another five feet in anticipation of the spring runoff.
Kenny Salazar said the dam has passed inspection by the Office of the State Engineer and is checked weekly for seepage. An engineering firm (AECOM) has been retained to fix erosion at the edge of the release pond and to repair a stuck valve.
We should have water every day through June if ditches at the top will close down a little some days and allow water to flow to the lower ditches. After that we will either go to releases 3 days a week or twice a week. The dam holds 48 days of irrigating.
Work is being scheduled to fix problems below the presa for the five lower ditches. It will take a trackhoe one or two days to clear a channel to flush the main ditch there. On the other side of the Santa Cruz River, the Herrera and La Lomita Ditches are in danger of flooding from the river as it backs up and spreads out behind a dam of debris.
Ron Gallegos, who is handling the negotiations for the Abbot water adjudication, reported that talks are continuing. Our side is working to determine the priority date for acequias. So far the pueblos involved have not made a proposal on how the water should be shared. However, Ohkay Owingeh is relying on a deposition from a number of years ago that claims members of the tribe watered at one time from the Santa Cruz River.