Circular 37—Ground-water data for Dwyer Quadrangle, Grant and Luna Counties, New Mexico

By F. X. Bushman, 1955, 19 pp., 3 tables, 1 fig.

The purpose of this report on the Dwyer quadrangle in Grant and Luna Counties in southwestern New Mexico is to present a brief discussion of ground-water resources and tabular data on wells and springs as well as a map showing locations. The greater part of the quadrangle is included in the drainage area of the Mimbres River where it is underlain by volcanic rocks, largely rhyolitic tuffs, and minor flows with some water-laid sediments. The volcanic rocks dip prevailingly but gently southwestward, but are broken along faults, some of notable magnitude. The narrow alluviated flood plain of the Mimbres in this area is in marked contrast to the broad alluvial plain to the south and in the vicinity of Deming. The geology of the Dwyer quadrangle has been mapped in detail by Elston whose report on file at the N M Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources (1955) and is being prepared for publication as a bulletin. The writer worked with Elston in 1952, and secured the ground-water data presented in this report.

The Dwyer quadrangle, comprising as area of about 250 mi2 lies between the parallels 32°30' and 32°45' N latitude and between the meridians 107°45' and 108°00' W longitude. All or parts of Townships 18, 19, 20, and 21 S, Ranges 9, 10, 11 W are included. The Mimbres River flows in a southerly direction through the center of the area. Not all wells within the area appear in the tables, though it is believed that very few have been omitted. A few wells located beyond the limits of the quadrangle have been included in the tabulations. Well owners and drillers supplied much of the information. Most well owners freely granted permission to measure water levels, depths, production rates, and to collect water samples for chemical analyses. Several wells in the western part of the area were not visited; the locations shown on the map were furnished by the owner or ranch foreman.