Acequia hydrology, redux
A brief report on the two-day "acequia hydrology" symposium here in Santa Fe at the fair grounds; Wednesday, October 21st was largely the PowerPoint and light discussion format for presenting the latest, or at least recent, findings from the New Mexico State University Alcalde research station. Steven Guldan and Sam Fernald, along with their current or former students Carlos Ochoa, Quita Ortiz and Ciara Cusack, gave the audience some quantitative data from hydrological and/or land-use research to go along with the qualitative data that parciantes, mayordomos and previous authors have provided for many years.
These were quite interesting, less for their content personally because I've read these studies in article format already, for the reactions that were evoked in the audience. Clearly, some wanted these data as a kind of affirmation of what they "long known, always," others were interested in acquiring the data for legal cases still pending or under appeal, and some were just happy that their earlier written assertions were largely true.
The second day, Thursday, October 22nd, started with an early departure from S. Fe to go visit the field station in Alcalde with a good group in tow (left). We stayed indoors for a small segment, then went outdoors from the acequia main trunk, down to the river (Rio Grande itself). While this was all fine and well, and a good overview of some of the equipment they used...I couldn't quite get excited having used a lot of this kind of instrumentation in the past. I was less interested in the technology than in getting discussions about the limitations of these studies and devices. They're on a floodplain, first of all. Second, the acequia running along Alcalde's outskirt is really large, with strong cfs flow, and some side linings of rocks as it blows by the research station. Finally, the applications were limited to around or under 1afy in terms of making statements about seepage, ACTET, and field crop transmission of surface water to deep percolation rates. It's necessary and valuable data, but there wasn't much critical analysis of what aspects worked well and what aspects didn't.
Then it got more interesting as we headed from Alcalde to Valdez (left), in the Rio Hondo system just north of Taos. This will be the second site for similar research, to gauge flow on the upper, middle, and lower portions of the system in an upland valley that is more typical of the majority of acequia systems. And this will take place in a context with a long history of water sharing and water disputes between Valdez, Desmontes, Arroyo Seco, and finally Arroyo Hondo itself (moving downstream). Sure, the residents have long figured out a 1/3 (each) sharing scheme between these upper, middle and lower portions of the valley. But it will be fun to follow this set of hydrological studies as it progresses. Hopefully, the fact that Abeyta is now in settlement and close to getting funded in the U.S. Congress will help in easing any tension about metering and measuring flows in this geologically and pedologically complex valley.
After Taos, and a stop at El Taoseno for a great but rich lunch, we headed back down south to Embudo to meet with Estevan Arellano (left). For those who don't know Estevan, he should be declared an official 'state treasure' or at least recognized in some way. He's working on a book with a friend and colleague, Arnie Valdez from the Santa Fe County Planning office, to document and illustrate a guidebook for mayordomos and parciantes. It reminded me of Gene Wilken's 1987 classic book on traditional resource management (= agricultural) in Latin America in its potential import to residents of these valleys. Much of the traditional knowledge, and the linguistic taxonomy for landscape understanding, is no longer with most parciantes - this book could help remedy the gap and could surely be used in state education efforts in most grades. After Embudo, and a visit to several of the acequias nearby, we headed once again towards Santa Fe, stopping in Embudo Station to see the site of the nation's first gauging station, operated since 1889. John Wesley Powell established this area as the first and official "field school" for training a new generation of hydrographers and hydrologists. It was a valuable day to visit first-hand the current study site in Alcalde, the future one in Valdez, and the people who struggle and speak with the water every day, the parciantes themselves...
(Photo 4: Embudo Station gauge, the country's first formal flow measurement device, on the Rio Grande, just south of the Embudo station bridge.)
Now, about next year's symposium...
These were quite interesting, less for their content personally because I've read these studies in article format already, for the reactions that were evoked in the audience. Clearly, some wanted these data as a kind of affirmation of what they "long known, always," others were interested in acquiring the data for legal cases still pending or under appeal, and some were just happy that their earlier written assertions were largely true.
The second day, Thursday, October 22nd, started with an early departure from S. Fe to go visit the field station in Alcalde with a good group in tow (left). We stayed indoors for a small segment, then went outdoors from the acequia main trunk, down to the river (Rio Grande itself). While this was all fine and well, and a good overview of some of the equipment they used...I couldn't quite get excited having used a lot of this kind of instrumentation in the past. I was less interested in the technology than in getting discussions about the limitations of these studies and devices. They're on a floodplain, first of all. Second, the acequia running along Alcalde's outskirt is really large, with strong cfs flow, and some side linings of rocks as it blows by the research station. Finally, the applications were limited to around or under 1afy in terms of making statements about seepage, ACTET, and field crop transmission of surface water to deep percolation rates. It's necessary and valuable data, but there wasn't much critical analysis of what aspects worked well and what aspects didn't. 
Then it got more interesting as we headed from Alcalde to Valdez (left), in the Rio Hondo system just north of Taos. This will be the second site for similar research, to gauge flow on the upper, middle, and lower portions of the system in an upland valley that is more typical of the majority of acequia systems. And this will take place in a context with a long history of water sharing and water disputes between Valdez, Desmontes, Arroyo Seco, and finally Arroyo Hondo itself (moving downstream). Sure, the residents have long figured out a 1/3 (each) sharing scheme between these upper, middle and lower portions of the valley. But it will be fun to follow this set of hydrological studies as it progresses. Hopefully, the fact that Abeyta is now in settlement and close to getting funded in the U.S. Congress will help in easing any tension about metering and measuring flows in this geologically and pedologically complex valley.
After Taos, and a stop at El Taoseno for a great but rich lunch, we headed back down south to Embudo to meet with Estevan Arellano (left). For those who don't know Estevan, he should be declared an official 'state treasure' or at least recognized in some way. He's working on a book with a friend and colleague, Arnie Valdez from the Santa Fe County Planning office, to document and illustrate a guidebook for mayordomos and parciantes. It reminded me of Gene Wilken's 1987 classic book on traditional resource management (= agricultural) in Latin America in its potential import to residents of these valleys. Much of the traditional knowledge, and the linguistic taxonomy for landscape understanding, is no longer with most parciantes - this book could help remedy the gap and could surely be used in state education efforts in most grades. After Embudo, and a visit to several of the acequias nearby, we headed once again towards Santa Fe, stopping in Embudo Station to see the site of the nation's first gauging station, operated since 1889. John Wesley Powell established this area as the first and official "field school" for training a new generation of hydrographers and hydrologists. It was a valuable day to visit first-hand the current study site in Alcalde, the future one in Valdez, and the people who struggle and speak with the water every day, the parciantes themselves...
(Photo 4: Embudo Station gauge, the country's first formal flow measurement device, on the Rio Grande, just south of the Embudo station bridge.)
Now, about next year's symposium...
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