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LOVINGTON, LEA COUNTY, NEW MEXICO, USA WE CAN MAKE IT HAPPEN FOR YOU ! |
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WATER CONSERVATION PLAN |
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Introduction The 2004 City of Lovington Water Conservation Plan is a long-range document that will guide the City in management of its precious water through the 21st Century. This is not a plan for the drought but for planning through the drought. The drought years have made clear that our water supplies are limited. We are using the water from our aquifer faster that it can be replenished. We must change our approach to how we use our water supply. We must manage our water use so that the City of Lovington in the future is where we want it to be and need it to be. The information contained in this plan provides a realistic look of where we believe Lovington is heading if we do not change our ineffective water management. It is a scary picture. Our hope is to motivate all water users to take action to avoid a scenario that none of us want. This plan identifies problems and makes recommendations. While many of the recommendations in this document are not new, very few people have acted on them. We have identified problems and in some cases we made specific proposals. We must learn to live with our limited water supply. The conclusion includes summaries of our recommendations reorganized that include changes to water management policies and a plea to individual citizens to become involved in determining our water destiny. We must plan for our future. |
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WHEN IN DROUGHT ASK Do we know how much water we have? How much water do we need? Do we know at what point demand will be greater than supply? What can we do to make more water? Do we have a sustainable water supply? How are we planning to avoid an emergency situation? How do we move from talk to action? 1. Do we know how much water we have? If no action is taken, the future is scary. We are comfortable now. We're getting along all right, aren't we? How long will that last if no actions are implemented? The City of Lovington is using 800 million to one billion gallons of water each year. The water being supplied to Lovington is presently being pumped from the Ogallala basin five (5)miles south of the City. The Lea County 40 Year Regional Water Plan reports that only 45% of the water can be recovered from a basin in an area where saturated thickness is 140 feet or greater. It also reported that it is not economically feasible to produce large quantities of water in a basin from an area less than about 70 feet of saturated thickness using vertical wells. As the saturated thickness of an aquifer decreases, the welds from vertical wells will also decrease. The saturated thickness is the depth of water mixed in the formation down to the Cretaceous and Triassic rocks underlying the Ogallala which forms a relatively impermeable barrier that restricts downward movement of ground water. The Lea County 40 Year Regional Water Plan also predicts that in the next 40 years the saturated thickness of our aquifer will decrease by 50 to 100 feet depending on the amount of irrigated land during that time. When we moved the pumps to gather water for the City of Lovington to five (5) miles south of town it had 150 feet of saturated thickness according to the Lea County Regional Water Plan. According to the Lea County Water Users Association Municipal Water Audit conducted by Smith Engineering we now have only 100 feet saturated thickness. That would indicate that we only have about thirty feet more of draw down on our water well field before getting into the area of 70 feet saturated thickness that is not economically feasible to produce large quantities of water for Lovington's use. The City of Lovington presently has sufficient pumping capacity to supply Lovington's water needs as long as the water is supplied to the pumps by the Ogallala basin. We have peak water demands in the summer of 4.5 million gallons per day. Our pumps can now supply over 6 million gallons of water per day and we have a total of 5.5 million gallons in storage. Back to ASK 2. How much water do we need? Lovington records water use by one of three categories; residential, commercial and city use. Lovington's residential use posed the single largest demand of over half of the total water withdrawal from the water basin. In comparison, less than two gallons out of ten are delivered to commercial accounts which include commercial and other non-residential units. The variability of Lovington's water use by season is pronounced. Peak summer withdrawals of around 4.5 MGD exceeds that of winter's base 1.3 MGD production by almost 350%. Likewise, total peak summer metered use of 3.4 MGD is much higher than winter's base 1.0 MGD. Residential use is similar with 2.7 MGD in summer and 0.6 MGD in winter. It is therefore estimated that 70% of Lovington's total residential water demand (indoor plus outdoor) in summer is due to seasonal outdoor use. If we continue to use our water resources at this present rate and our population grows by 1,000 persons in the next five to ten years we will increase our water demand by ten to fifteen percent or even more. Back to ASK 3. Do we know at what point demand will be greater than supply? We have an estimated 100 foot depth of water called the saturated thickness. We are told the bottom 70 foot of this thickness of our water supply will be more expensive to pump using vertical wells. So how long will this top thirty (30) feet of the saturated thickness last? There are too many variables to consider to be certain. You need to consider hydrology of our area, population projections, usage in the whole region culture of use in the whole region, etc. The Lea County 40 Year Regional Water Plan predicts that our aquifer will decrease a minimum of 50 feet in the next 40 years. The plan does not predict in years when the expected drop of 30 feet will occur. The area of the aquifer our city wells are in has dropped an average of twelve (12) inches per year. That could indicate that we have thirty (30) years or less left to extract our water needs from that area. This is only an estimate. Back to ASK 4. What can we do to make more water? This can only be accomplished in two ways. You increase the supply of available water or reduce the present demand. To develop a new supply would mean moving to another area, which would mean new piping and possible new water rights. Deepening the wells we have is not a possibility as they are already drilled to the bottom of the saturated water thickness. It therefore makes sense to work toward the reduction of demand to be within our means of present and future supply. Back to ASK 5. Do we have a sustainable water supply? The greatest amount of natural discharge from the Ogallala is through subsurface flow across the Texas-New Mexico State line. Estimates of recharge from precipitation range from .25 to .5 inches per year. Decline in the aquifer has averaged 12 inches per year. This is not a sustainable water supply unless the precipitation increases or demand is reduced. Back to ASK 6. How are we planning to avoid an emergency situation? What can we do? Will water conservation within Lovington make a difference? This is not just a Lovington project. The State and the State Engineer have directed all communities to complete and enact a conservation plan for their area. Our goal is to reduce the water consumption for Lovington in the first year by 5%. This would relate to about 40,000 gallons. Years 2 and 3 would be a goal of 15% and 30% respectably. To accomplish this we must first look at how our water is being consumed now. The Lea County Water User Association Municipal Water Audit of December of 2003 reports that the City of Lovington uses 18% of the total water consumed in the Lea County Municipalities and we have 22% of the population in those communities. The City of Lovington's population has leveled at about 9,500, housed in 3,100 residential units. City records show water being delivered to 3,530 metered accounts of which 3,100 are residential, 430 are commercial. The City has 5,354 acre feet of Municipal water rights. That does not mean there is that much water, but the State is allowing us to extract up to that amount each year. We are presently pumping close to 2,900 acre feet annually which averages a little over 2.6 million gallons per day. Residential users take 54% of that total annual extraction. Commercial users draw 22%. City uses and unaccounted for water make up the other 24%. The Lea County Water User Association Municipal Water Audit calculates that 70% of residential demand (indoor plus outdoor) in summer months is due to seasonal outdoor use or approximately two (2) million gallons per day during the summer months. The Audit also concludes that the unaccounted water is greater in the summer but that is unlikely due to pipe degradation as much as significant measuring errors with some water meters being off as much as 25%. A random survey of thirty (30) meters shows over 15% of the meters tested were off by 40%. This beginning is a voluntary plan for water conservation. This plan is to encourage our users to conserve water, install water savings devices, repair leaks, water outdoors before 10 AM and after 6 PM, decrease outdoor watering and planting of new vegetation, and restaurants to serve water only upon request. Some helpful hints are: a) Treated water should not be used for cleaning buildings, decks, sidewalks, driveways or other impervious surface areas in such a way that it flows, sprays, or is otherwise excessively discharged upon any street, alley or other public right-of-way, ditch or drain, unless necessary to clean nonrecurring spills that could pose a hazard to the health and safety of the citizens or the City. b) Vehicles should only be washed from a hand-held bucket or a hand-held hose equipped with a positive shutoff nozzle for quick rinses. This includes the operation of vehicle washes such as fund-raisers held at commercial businesses. Mechanical commercial car washes would be exempt c) New or replacement bleeder lines from evaporative coolers should not be routed into the sewer system but should be used to water landscaping or other outdoor vegetation. d) Water running constantly into a commode (water closet) or a dripping faucets should be repaired e) An automatic sprinkler system can be set to water the lawn for a specific period of time. This will save time and insures that the lawn is watered evenly. If you don't have an automatic sprinkler system, set a kitchen timer. A lot of water can be wasted in a short period of time if you forget to turn your sprinklers off. Outdoor faucets can flow at a rate of as much as three hundred (300) gallons per hour f) Drier areas require more water than areas where water settles. If necessary, water the dry areas by hand. g) Water only when soil probes show low moisture content in soil or when it is difficult to push a screwdriver into the soil. h) Step on the grass; if it springs backup when you move your foot, it does not need water. i) Position sprinklers so that the water lands on the lawn or garden, not in areas where it is not needed. Also avoid watering when it is windy. Wind causes water to evaporate quickly and blows water onto areas where it is not needed. Remember if it doesn't grow, don't water it! j) Interrupt watering when puddles or runoff occurs. This allows the water to penetrate into the soil before restarting irrigation. k) Landscape with plants that require less water. These plants can be very attractive. Rocks, gravel, benches and deck areas can all be used to creatively decorate the yard. Shade trees are especially helpful, but seek the advice of a local nursery in determining shade trees that when established will survive on our annual rainfall with little or not added irrigation. l) Drip systems permit water to flow slowly to roots, encouraging strong root systems. These systems will also cut down on evaporation m) Weeds are water thieves and will rob your plants of water and nutrients. Spot spray or remove weeds as they appear. n) Fertilizer applications require additional water. Excess fertilizer stimulates top growth, often to the detriment of the root system. o) Don't mow too often. Mowing puts the grass plant under additional stress that requires more water. p) Longer leaf surfaces promote deeper rooting and shade the root zone. Best not to remove more than one-third of the blade in one mowing. Returning some of the mulched clipping to the lawn helps hold moisture. q) Sweeping the driveway and sidewalk will get them clean enough without wasting precious gallons of water. r) Don't use sprinklers to cool off or play. Running through water from a hose or a sprinkler is fun, but can waste a great deal of water. s) Covering a swimming pool when not in use will help reduce evaporation. An average swimming pool can use about one thousand (1,000) gallons of water per month if left uncovered. A pool cover can cut that loss by up to ninety percent (90%) Some things just have to happen: a) The use of the water for routine inspection or maintenance of the water supply system. b) The runoff flow which is the result of temporary failures or malfunction of the water supply system c) The use of the water used for firefighting purposes including the inspection and pressure testing of fire hydrants or the use of water for firefighting training activities d) The use of the water required for control of dust or the compaction soil as may be required the City. l e) The water used to prevent or abate public heath, safety or accident hazards when alternate methods are not available. f) The water used for street sweeping, sewer maintenance or other established utility and public works practice. The City is committed to repairing water leaks as soon as possible. The City will begin replacing old meters with new meters. The City will also observe the same recommendations listed for others. Back to ASK 7. How do we move from talk to action? Start by taking small steps. a. The City Commission to adopt this Water Conservation Plan at a public meeting. b. Consumer information 1 Newspaper advertisement 2 Print tips on water bills 3 Make this plan available to the internet 4 Offer educational meeting and invite questions Back to ASK Conclusion: New Mexico is the second driest state in the nation and we should always practice conservation. To request a copy of this plan |
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Webmaster: Charles Kelley, City of Lovington, P. O. Box 1268, Lovington, NM 88260, (575)396-2884