The
acequias of Taos are one of our greatest cultural treasures. The acequias tell
the history of our agricultural community - how it evolved and grew as a
response to its physical and cultural environment - and they act as a gauge of
our health as a community today. The functionality of the acequias can make or
break our farming community by dictating whether local crops will be available
in summer and fall, they make available different water-loving species of
plants that can be used in folk medicines, they provide a habitat for a great
many species of birds, insects and animals... and more than that, the acequias
help to recharge our aquifer and protect our structures from storm flooding.
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| Madre Acequia |
Madre Acequia
The Madre Ditch
is located almost wholly on Taos Pueblo lands. It is open ditch type, within a
high berm (5’ tall in some areas) for flood control. This acequia feeds both
the Kit Carson Laterals and the Van Vectin Laterals, the latter of which source
both the La Loma and Paseo Ditches. There are a few small sections with
concrete and metal gates
occurring along the ditch. The ditch is in need of a thorough cleaning. An area
just north of the Kit Carson Park border appears to be a “no-mans land” and it
is unclear whether this is Pueblo or Town property, or privately held. There is
a functional pond here presumably used for overflow, fed by 3 separate laterals
off the Madre ditch.
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| La Loma Ditch |
La Loma Ditch
The La Loma Ditch starts
at the El Pueblo Lodge on Paseo del Pueblo Norte and traverses west along
Theodora, where it turns south and west, eventually crossing Camino de la
Placita at the Plaza de Retiro and working slowly south and west along the west
side of the new middle school and Enos Garcia, continuing along Saavedra to La
Loma Street, and then turning west to cross San Antonio behind La Loma Plaza
and moving southwest along Valverde towards Ranchitos Road. This acequia is unique
in that the vast majority of it is open dirt. It has an “earthy” way about it
and it is extremely clean and well-kept, save that many of the culverts could
use cleaning out or outright replacement, there are a great many Cottonwood and
Chinese Elm trees that should be removed and some areas could be dug out to
facilitate better water flows – a low cost solution that could be completed on
annual cleaning day(s).
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| Paseo ditch |
Paseo Ditch
The Paseo Ditch
illustrates a sad part of Taos’ history. With growth, many people abandoned
their acequias or moved them underground. Many did so, including governmental
authorities, without consulting the acequia associations. This has rendered the Paseo
acequia severely damaged and in need of substantial intervention. The majority of this ditch is underground,
and its only story is the one told in the subtle cracks left in the roads where
its culvert is buried.
There are sections
where the acequia was honored. The visible remnants of acequias along Paseo are
more often beautiful than not. They may be lined with grass, concrete, stone,
or gravel. Some are landscaped. Some businesses have even installed faux
acequias. Most of the reason for this acequias’ failure is abandonment.
Culverts were not cleared, sidewalks are built over the trench with no path for
the water to go, and many underground culverts were either incorrectly
installed or improperly maintained, so that they are full of trash and dirt,
causing flooding when the water cannot continue on its path due to blockage
downstream. This disrepair threatens every home and business along the acequia with
flooding.
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| Kit Carson laterals |
Kit Carson Laterals
The acequias in
Kit Carson Park have several unique laterals. One at the north runs east-west
along the north perimeter of First Presbyterian Church, then turns south to
rejoin and pass through the northwest corner of the park; another runs
diagonally from the northeast corner of the park in a southwesterly direction to
the intersection of Civic Plaza Drive (apparently a portion of what is effectively a drainage now is actually the original plaza ditch identified in 1845 maps of Taos); and the last runs
diagonally from northeast to southwest, wrapping around the corner of the Kit
Carson State Cemetery and southwest along Dragoon Lane and across Kit Carson
State Highway past the Couse-Sharp Historic Site, splitting to traverse along
and across Quesnel .
These ditches are
unique in that they are predominately open type and grass-lined. They are
sinuous, wrapping around trees and the form of the landscape, and they seem
“soft” until they leave the open sections at Kit Carson Park to go underground
along the west side of Dragoon. This “softness,” grassy lining and sinuous
nature of these ditches should be preserved, and cottonwood trees along the
ditch removed as soon as possible, and especially if they are ill.
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| Lateral |
Laterals (general)
Because the
acequias have not been fully functional in the recent past, and many laterals therefore
abandoned, these off-shoot ditches can generally be described as in need of
digging out as well as vegetative and detritus removal prior to an acequia
returning to full capacity. Note in the photo above that everything downstream
(to the bottom) of the last split is overburdened with dirt. It is not possible
for water to pass through… which not only damages the wall to the side as the
entire area floods, but also this condition prevents water from reaching the La
Loma and Paseo ditches. This is a problem at most
laterals that shall be addressed prior to opening ANY of the ditches currently
not running.
Saving our Acequias
The three most important things we can do to preserve our acequias are:
Participate! Get involved in annual clean-up days
Liberate! Remove dead and dying cottonwoods, and do NOT replace them!
Educate! Implement a planting and building setback guide, as shown here:
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| Setbacks |
Planting and
Structures should
be held back from the acequias at the following distances:
- Lawn & Flowers: acceptable any location, with approved plants (see below)
- Dwarf Trees: 15' or more from center of ditch/pipe
- semi-Dwarf Trees: 25' or more from center of ditch/pipe
- Trees above 50' tall: 50' or more from center of ditch/pipe
- Structures: 15' or more from center of ditch/pipe
- Fenceposts/light posts: 3’ or more from center of ditch/pipe
To determine what types of plantings are acceptable (per the above
distance guidelines), consult the state’s list of plants and trees which do not
threaten the well-being of our acequias at this link: http://wuc.ose.state.nm.us/Plants/
