Steven T. Finch Jr., John Shomaker & Associates Inc.
The Tularosa Basin covers a vast collage of landscapes in the Basin and Range region of south-central New Mexico, and far-reaching views are nearly obtainable from any point. In 1905, Oscar Meinzer, with the U.S. Geological Survey, traveled across the Tularosa Basin on horse and buggy surveying and quantifying ground-water conditions. Meinzer inventoried approximately 300 wells across the basin, as well as springs and other hydrogeologic features. One hundred years later, a multitude of ground-water and geologic studies and data from thousands of additional wells have aided in the refinement of the conceptual ground-water flow model originally developed by Meinzer. Primary changes in the conceptual model include a better understanding of the relationship between mountain-block and basin-fill aquifers, ground-water flow paths, distribution of water quality, and recharge and discharge boundaries.
Meinzer pointed out in his 1923 publication on ground-water hydrology: “A true scientist thinks so clearly that he is able to differentiate between what is known to be a fact and what is probable or hypothetical. Inherently, incomplete knowledge does not necessitate erroneous concepts.” As with the Tularosa Basin, there are known facts, but only probable or hypothetical explanations for those facts. Some of the more interesting hypotheses regarding the presented conceptual model for the Tularosa Basin include 1) decreasing salinity with respect to depth resulting from evapo-concentration at the water table and ionic filtration by fine-grained aquifer materials, 2) geologic controls on ground-water flow paths from the Sacramento Mountains (mountain block) to the basin-fill aquifer (half-graben), and 3) geologic controls on the distribution of grain size in the basin-fill aquifer.
The 2007 Ground Water Summit
