High winds impact irrigation ditch clean up along the Rio Grande
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – A dry winter is creating a low spring run-off this year making it tough for farmers. The Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District is saying the wind this week is causing more weather woes and irrigation delays.
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'We manage a system of irrigation canals that stretch about 147 miles of the river,' said MRGCD CEO and Chief Engineer, Jason Casuga.
The MRGCD kicked off irrigation season at the end of February, flushing and clearing debris to prep for water distribution. 'We divert water in the north, and then that water travels by gravity by our canals south and then we begin to deliver that to irrigators in different counties,' said Casuga.
Casuga said one week later, all that work went out the window.'I think what's really important for the public to understand is how far those weeds actually traveled to get to our canal and high winds like that, it's not like they are coming from next door,' said Casuga.
Many canals across the city that MRGCD is responsible for are now filled with tumbleweeds and other debris. 'It's really hard to move water, it's almost impossible. It creates a lot of problems, it makes it unsafe at times for MRGCD to be running significant amounts of water and delivering water to farmers,' said Casuga.
As strong winds persist with Thursday potentially mimicking what we saw Monday, farmers should expect delays.'Those smaller canals that run next to homes and barns and those kinds of things that we're making sure that we are turned down, so that we can hopefully avoid having any weed plugs or debris falling from branches that may plug the canal and cause it overflow,' said Casuga.
Casuga said there is some good news with wind like this. 'As winds continue on for longer periods of time, the weeds actually reduce because they've all moved to specific spots by that time, it's really these first large windstorms that bring in all the weeds,' said Casuga.
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