NRCS Texas and the El Paso-Hudspeth SWCD team-up to provide conservation solutions

By: Wade Day, Public Affairs Specialist, San Angelo, Texas

El Paso is unique.   

Being the farthest westward point in Texas, the area is framed by the Franklin Mountains to the north, the Rio Grande River to the south and west, and the Chihuahuan desert that extends eastward. This large metropolitan area has a hot desert climate, averaging only 8 inches of rainfall per year, if it rains at all.

Agriculture is part of the area’s economy but is challenging due to the arid climate. Although El Paso has some cattle producers, major crops grown in the area include cotton, pecans and alfalfa, along with other fruits and vegetables. 

Water is the primary limiting factor for agriculture in the area. 

Farming in the Desert

To combat this, the area has an extensive canal system to deliver water to agriculture producers. Water is released from the Elephant Butte Reservoir and Caballo Reservoir into the Rio Grande River to supply the system. 

This irrigation system utilizes two types of canals — large delivery canals and smaller secondary canals. 
The large delivery canals are controlled by the El Paso County Water Improvement District #1 and are for the most part, concrete. The water district controls delivery of the water, as well as the maintenance and upkeep of the canals. They are in good working condition due to the control and oversight of the water district.
 
The secondary canals are a much different situation. 

These smaller secondary canals are the responsibility of the landowner. This includes initial construction and maintenance. They run contiguously, all connected to the landowners both upstream and downstream. In one stretch of secondary canal, the water may need to flow through multiple landowners to reach its intended destination. The landowners depend on each other to maintain their section of the canal to keep the water flowing. 

This can cause a multitude of issues. 

In many cases, the lack of or inability to maintain the canal is the main problem. This has many causes including access to equipment, lack of funds, and not being involved with agriculture production.   

Variability in construction materials for the secondary canals can be a problem as well. 

Within the same canal, some portions may be concrete while others are simply an excavated earthen ditch. While both materials work in delivering water, issues arise when they are mixed. Earthen canals require more maintenance and have a higher potential for leeching and erosion. Concrete is far superior from a standpoint of preventing erosion, water delivery, maintenance and longevity, but is more costly. 

Knowing that water is essential for growing crops and that this area has little rainfall, these canals are a lifeline for ag producers.  Their function and delivery of water is important for growing crops and using the available water wisely.

Conservation Partners

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCD) have a long-standing tradition of cooperation.

Providing both technical and financial assistance, these conservation delivery partners are providing much needed support to agricultural producers. With the SWCD serving as the local voice of farmers and ranchers and the NRCS serving as technical experts, the partnership has proven effective in providing conservation assistance to the agricultural community. 

A recently completed project in El Paso, the Dino Road canal project, highlights the partnership between the NRCS and El Paso-Hudspeth SWCD in conservation delivery.

Both organizations contributed resources and expertise that benefitted the producers and provided needed assistance. In this instance, concrete lined canals were installed with the cooperation of both organizations.

The SWCD provided the funding for the project through their Water Quality Management Plan (WQMP) Program.

A WQMP is a site-specific plan developed and approved by local SWCDs for agricultural lands. The plan includes appropriate land treatment and production practices, management measures and technologies. 

The WQMP Program is administered by the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board (TSSWCB), in close coordination with the local SWCD. The TSSWCB, all Texas SWCDs, and NRCS are all party to an understanding that lays out a conservation partnership concerning soil and water conservation in Texas. WQMPs provide the participant with peace of mind that their conservation activities are designed, implemented and consistent with achieving state water quality standards.

NRCS contributed the technical expertise for the design, layout and construction inspection of the canals through the Conservation Technical Assistance Program (CTA).  

Through CTA, NRCS employees provide conservation options and recommendations, as well as planning and engineering assistance to the agriculture community. This assistance is used to address opportunities and concerns related to natural resources. CTA is voluntary and free of charge but can serve as a springboard for future participation with NRCS. One of the primary objectives of CTA is to assist individuals or groups of decision makers, communities, conservation districts, units of state and local government, tribes and others to voluntarily conserve, maintain and improve natural resources. 

The partnership between the SWCD and NRCS was essential to get local agricultural producers the assistance they needed.  

With the SWCD covering a portion of the cost and NRCS overseeing design and construction, the outcome was a win for the producers in El Paso.
 

Conservation on the ground

With the Dino Road project, work happened over the entire length of the system.  This required coordination, effort and expertise from many people. 

“It was an honor being part of this project, it was a challenge,” said Juan Galvan Rodriguez, NRCS field engineer for the area. “A lot of parties were involved to complete the project; NRCS, TSSWCB, local SWCD, contractors and producers. I believe this project was successful because of the team effort. Even though we work for different agencies, we all work as a team. Communication was key, and we did our bit to help the community save water and irrigate more efficiently.”

By planning for the entire system, the secondary canals could be replaced at one time, allowing proper function and delivery of irrigation water. The old canals were replaced with concrete, eliminating the problems that arose from different material types and maintenance issues with the old system. With the new canal in place, the producers now have a properly functioning system from beginning to end.
 

“As farming becomes more challenging, projects like this where the whole community is involved impact not only the agriculture industry, but the whole El Paso area,” said Arbour Guthrie, NRCS district conservationist in El Paso, Texas. “With the combined support of the NRCS, TSSWCB, and El Paso-Hudspeth SWCD, projects like these allow farmers to better utilize their water allocation. Increasing watering efficiency in an area where water is the primary limiting factor for production helps keep farmers in business.”

While the canal will function as a continuous whole, each landowner was contracted individually for their portion. Due to most of the producers being willing to invest in the project, the end result was an effective and efficient irrigation system.  
  
"Historically, it’s almost impossible to bring a group together and have them unanimously agree to complete a project, especially when it involves a community ditch,” said James (Jim) Ivey, District Director for the El Paso-Hudspeth SWCD. “The partnership that executed this project did an outstanding job of coordinating efforts and getting everyone on board with a shared mission. By educating those involved on the benefits of the project and leveraging the unique conservation delivery system between the El Paso-Hudspeth SWCD and NRCS, we ensured a successful outcome. I believe that this approach could even serve as a model for others facing similar challenges. It’s truly a testament to the power of partnership we have in conservation."

Even those producers not initially interested came to see the benefit as work progressed.

“As the project was completed, producers that were not on board decided to apply to fix their section of ditch,” said Rodriguez. “To me, that means we are doing good work and inspires me to keep working hard.”

NRCS and the SWCDs will continue to partner in efforts that make Texas agriculture producers profitable, efficient and conservation smart.