NRCS ran some numbers for my site, and they say in a 50 year storm event, my watershed is around 600 acres, not 460. We are continuing to look at our options for the site. It looks like we will need a relatively big auxiliary spillway to protect the DAM in one of these big events.

NRCS is also going to share the data they've come up with that shows projected flow through the area in several different scenarios, which are normally occurring multiple times per year.

We dug test holes, and it is going to be fairly expensive excavating due to soil only 1'-3' thick on top of 5'-10' of caliche (calcium carbonate deposits of varying densities for those not from around here). To get some deeper holes, we will probably need to punch some holes through the underlying bedrock in a few areas. The dam will only add about 4' of water depth in the areas that are the lowest natural areas near the dam location.

I have not decided what to do about drilling a well. That is still on the plate as a precursor to starting excavation.

Randy Cooper
Cactus Blum Ranch (where the fish currently don't exist)