A few weeks ago I bumped into this dam east of Insurgentes. What is its purpose? Prevent flooding? Provide water for people and irrigation?
The dam shows up in Bing Maps, but doesn't show in Google Maps which means you can see the original road alignment (I first went that way until I started to run into reservoir).
I shot a couple photo spheres on the dam. Use Google Maps and Pegman to help locate them.
The spillway at the north end of the damn:
Birds love reservoir outflow:
The road across the arroyo below the dam was pretty beat up. Damage before the dam was built? TMW - 12-6-2017 at 05:43 PM
Probably will be used for farming in that area. I think home water is from wells, but that's only a guess.bajabuddha - 12-6-2017 at 05:43 PM
The Insurgentes / Constitucion area is known for its' aquifer which is Cretaceous water (65M y.o.) and un-replenishable. I wonder if that is well
water that fills the dam; does that area get enough moisture to sustain that amount of back-water especially with evaporation involved? Lake Bowel in
Utah proved what desert heat can do in times of drought... if this is the case being a limited aquifer, man... one can only surmise the amount of loss
due to heat/drought/evaporation. Definite head scratcher. TMW - 12-6-2017 at 05:44 PM
I noticed the date for Google is Dec. 2009.AKgringo - 12-6-2017 at 05:50 PM
My guess is that it is intended to capture run off from storms to let it soak in and replenish the aquifer. I have done the same thing on my property
in northern CA.BajaBlanca - 12-7-2017 at 09:00 AM
bajabuddha - what about the water source in Vizcaino? Forgive the aside, Stucksucks, I was just wondering if aquifer is replenishable in Vizcaino?David K - 12-7-2017 at 09:07 AM
As long as it keeps raining up in the Sierra San Francisco! The ice-age water stores need to be refilled as they are drained to grow food.StuckSucks - 12-7-2017 at 09:18 AM
No Blanca, the rate the the Vizcaino is being pumped will cause problems in the future. They are grow water intensive crops, taking more then get
replaced.
I like the dam, I will check it out next time I am in the area. Thanks Stucksucks.bajabuddha - 12-7-2017 at 10:43 AM
bajabuddha - what about the water source in Vizcaino? Forgive the aside, Stucksucks, I was just wondering if aquifer is replenishable in Vizcaino?
Not certain about the Viscaino aquifer; it too is a syncline like the Const./Insur. area, but all the lava flows that come down off the Sierras to the
north may feed it, dunno for sure. Gotta wonder where the waters from the San Ignacio area end up eventually. However, as agriculture grows and more
wells are drilled the more the groundwater tables will deplete, and that includes everywhere. Don Jorge - 12-7-2017 at 12:31 PM
Think you are right, prevent flooding and capture water for use must be the idea. Nice find, thanks for posting it.
The paper notes that in Vizcaino salt water intrusion into the aquifer is already occurring. The aquifer is not being recharged to equilibrium as
evidenced by the salt water intrusion. The aquifer may not dry up but someday the water quality will decline to uselessness.
The farms down there are playing hopscotch with the ample land available and limited water, piping water to new ground, farming it till it loads up
with minerals and moving again to new ground.
Long time ago met a very successful Japanese American farmer who at that time was retired but consulting in Baja. Asked him what was his secret? He
said, "New dirt, sweet water." A huevo.
