PROBLEMS FROM DEVELOPMENT 63 



winter of 1942 than since 1926; they have dropped nearly 

 12 feet in the winters of the succeeding seven years. The 

 water levels in artesian wells have dropped lower than ever 

 before in the summers of 1948 and 1949. 



Overlying the artesian basin is a shallow ground-water 

 reservoir, replenished in large part by upward leakage from 

 the artesian reservoir and by downward percolation from ir- 

 rigated lands. Little water was pumped from this shallow res- 

 ervoir before 1927. When further drilling of artesian wells 

 was stopped, there was a marked acceleration in shallow- 

 water development, and by 1937 the shallow reservoir was 

 also closed to further permits except for replacement wells. 

 In recent years the pumpage from shallow wells has been 

 about 120,000 acre-feet a year. In part, this development 

 represents salvage of water that would otherwise be dis- 

 charged by evapotranspiration or by seepage into the Pecos 

 River, and it also represents a reuse of water drawn from 

 the artesian reservoir and applied for irrigation. But pump- 

 ing from the shallow reservoir has lowered the water levels 

 by 20 feet or more in an area of 65 square miles, and un- 

 doubtedly the upward leakage from the artesian reservoir 

 has increased as a result. 



The wise regulation of the development of the basin has 

 been shown to require an adequate foundation of hydro- 

 logic data, in order to achieve maximum utilization of the 

 water resources and protect the holders of established rights. 

 Present information suggests that total draft on the com- 

 bined reservoirs may still be in excess of average replenish- 

 ment, but it may be possible to bring the system more nearly 

 into balance by salvaging some of the water still being lost 

 by natural discharge. On the other hand, some outflow to 

 the Pecos River must be permitted to continue, both to 

 meet the established rights to water downstream and as a 

 means of disposal of mineral salts from the Roswell Basin. 

 It is likely that some well owners are withdrawing water 

 in excess of the quantity to which they are legally en- 

 titled, and the overdraft may be substantially reduced if 



