An Assessment of Surface Water/Ground Water Interactions and Water Quality in Bluewater Creek, New Mexico

Bluewater Creek, a spatially intermittent headwater stream and one of the main tributaries to Bluewater Lake, is located in the Zuni Mountains in Cibola National Forest approximately 100 miles west of Albuquerque, New Mexico.  Annual peak discharge occurs during the spring snowmelt runoff in March and April. Average annual discharge for Bluewater Creek for the period 1989 through 2000 is approximately 9.5 cubic feet per second.  The Bluewater Creek sub-watershed has a drainage area of approximately 54,300 acres (84 square miles).  Watershed elevation ranges from 6650 to 9240 feet above mean sea level with a mean elevation of 8020 feet.  Annually, precipitation varies across the watershed from approximately 12 to 23 inches. Land use history includes railroad logging (1800s – early 1900) and uncontrolled grazing. USDA Forest Service acquisition occurred in the 1940s followed by riparian area restoration in the 1980s. Today, watershed improvement is directed towards managed recreation and controlled grazing. A surface water-groundwater interaction study was conducted along a 4 mile reach of Bluewater Creek. We report on the hydrogeochemical findings based on water quality measurements, groundwater elevation (30 piezometers in nests) and water temperature data. Water quality results demonstrate connectivity between the shallow alluvial aquifer and surface water. Geochemical analysis demonstrates spatial and temporal differences. Losing-gaining stream segments were identified from the groundwater elevation data and utilized to further quantify surface water-groundwater exchanges. Impairments to designated use (coldwater fishery) include temperature.