The Rio Grande

[Al Hansen]

Al, is the water gone because of the high temps or upstream diversion for irrigation, or both?

Dwight, I think it is that combination however I believe the major emphasis should be put on agriculture. The Rio is heavily used along its route. We are now starting to see water wars down here now where one farmer is blaming another for stealing "his" water. The funniest thing about the story I heard last week was that this farmer lives up stream from the one he blamed. Try and figure that one out. Anyway it is dryer than an old cork down here. What is really frightening is that if the farmers do run out of water, the biggest farmers (largest land holders) will begin using their 18 inch wells to pump out ground water. That will put on a real damper on the ground water table and all the folks who have wells for their home use might find themselves with no water coming to the house.

We do have a very high evaporation rate out here, Dwight. When you think of blistering temps with single digit humidity rates, that is frightening.
Al

 

[Al Hansen]

Jeesh, the rio grande is gone!

I bet when you get a summer thunderstorm, it'll come right back to life......

I hope so at least.


Is the salt content pretty high on it, since so much of it evaporates?

Have no idea about the salt content. Must find that out, Todd. Our monsoon season is about to begin, so we have our fingers crossed. I sure hope that someone in this state gets rain this year.
Al

 

[Al Hansen]

Al, Not to rub it in but I am now in Fargo and it is raining buckets. There isn't a person here that wouldn't give you all the water you could want. At home in the cities it is wet but up here in the Red River Valley it is everywhere. The wind blew 20+ for the last couple days and now it is raining. REALLY?

Who knows, Tom, maybe that water is needed in Hudson Bay? What is it like back home at the farm? Are all the sloughs full? That entire valley has a tough time draining when there is so much precipitation. We would definitely take all that they wanted to get rid of.
Al

 

[Tom Scholberg]

Al, I'm sure the people around here would be happy to share with our neighbors to the north. I haven't been to the farm for a while but the word is everything is full to the brim. Dad says the crops here in Horace ND are maybe a month behind those at home. Mom fell last week and broke her hip so we are hanging out here at my sister and brother in laws place til she can get settled in a rehab bed somewhere here. Sun is shining and wind has laid down here today.