Wednesday

The Monsoon Means Work

Having survived another family reunion at the Painted Pony Resort it is back to work on the estate.  Monsoon season is synonymous with work since the rains combined with sparse vegetation generate water events whenever it rains.  Water concentrates in arroyos creating flash floods which results in more erosion.  To combat the erosion problems, check dams are constructed in many arroyos, but no check dams have yet been built on the new property.  Recent flash floods in 3 arroyos on the east side of the property took out the old road and work has centered on getting culverts installed and back filled so access to the new east entrance is possible.  The largest arroyo, 10' wide x 4' deep, drains the uplands east of the old El Paso and Southwestern railroad bed and carries water that is eroding the landscape further downstream.  A 36" culvert was placed in the drainage and metal wings installed to direct water into the culvert.  Back filled with old concrete fragments and rock it will eventually receive dirt to finish the project.  A good thing too because it looks like more rain.

flash flood damage
Adding a 20' long 36" diameter culvert to a 10' wide arroyo.
Peloncillo mountains monsoon
Monsoon clouds over the Peloncillo mountains illuminated by the setting sun.

2 comments:

  1. Gorgeous photo of the monsoon clouds!

    What is your source for culverts? We sure could use some on our road!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you. I came out of the trailer in the early evening and saw the scene so I ran back inside and grabbed the camera. It reminds me of some prehistoric volcanic scene with the expanding cloud of ash and the light reflected off the erupting lava.

    The culverts were left by the previous tenets. I identified resources that I could re-purpose when I surveyed the property and several culverts were found that could be used, just a matter of placement and back filling with rock and dirt. Nothing goes to waste out here.

    ReplyDelete