The Waters of the Rio Grande 
53 
ALKALINITY OF ARTESIAN WATERS 
Locality 
Alamosa 
Alamosa 
V 2 mile south McGinty 
North of McGinty 
2 miles north McGinty 
2 miles north McGinty 
4 mi’tB north McGinty 
Mo sc a 
Mosca 
• 
2 miles north Mosca 
3 miles south Hooper 
2 miles so’east Hooper 
1 mile north Hooper 
Hooper 
Center 
3 miles east Center 
4 miles west Hooper 
4 miles west Hooper 
2 miles west Hooper 
1 mile west Hooper 
Hooper 
Depth of Well 
923 feet 
820 feet 
Deep 
Deep 
Deep 
Deep 
Shallow 
780 feet 
500-600 
Shallow 
Deep (780 ?> 
Shallow (2d flow or 
Shallow (1st flow) 
750 feet 
200 feet 
Shallow 
375 feet 
739 feet 
Shallow 
Shallow 
450 feet 
Sodic Carbonate in 
parts per Million 
68.0 
68.0 
795.0 
1070.9 
1171.3 
1229.6 
371.0 
1388.6 
1003.0 
318.0 
1446.9 
deeper) 593.6 
371.0 
1356.0 
74.2 
74.2 
79.2 
v 477.0 
212.0 
291.5 
840.0 
The samples from Alamosa to Hooper represent water taken m 
an almost straight line beginning south of and outside of the alkaline 
area and running due north to approximately the center of the area. 
The samples from Center to Hooper represent a line beginning west 
of and running due east to the central portion of the area. 
In addition to the above data the results obtained on examining 
the water carried by the Sylvester drainage ditch will give an idea of 
the character of the ground-water in the line of the latter samples, 
Center to Hooper. A sample of this water was taken two miles west 
of Hooper and carried 159.0 p.p.m. of sodic carbonate; another sam¬ 
ple was taken as tailing water one mile east of Hooper, and this car¬ 
ried 227.9 P-P-m. A shallow well, 15 feet deep, used for domestic pur¬ 
poses, carried 159.0 p.p.m. of sodic carbonate. The depth of the Syl¬ 
vester drainage ditch where the sample was taken, west of Hooper, 
was probably 8 feet. 
The data herewith presented to exhibit the alkalinity of the arte¬ 
sian and even surface waters of the section under discussion are suf¬ 
ficient to show that we are justified in presenting them for serious con¬ 
sideration in connection with the unfavorable agricultural conditions 
that prevail throughout this section of country, which, as I have pre¬ 
viously stated, is co-extensive with the area of alkaline water. I do 
not know the exact outline of this area, but there are probably at least 
400,000 acres of land affected by these conditions. 
The quantities of sodic carbonate given in the above statements 
may not convey any definite idea to some readers, therefore it may be 
