EFFECTS OF FORMER IRRIGATION AND RIVER CHANNELS ON THE HORIZONTAL COMPONENT OF HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY IN DOWNTOWN EL PASO/JUAREZ

The El Paso/Juarez community is located in the northern part of the Chihuahuan desert. Water in this area is a precious commodity and the well being of the existing supply is a major concern. The El Paso/Juarez area consists of an aggrading floodplain which may cause the horizontal component of hydraulic conductivity to be much larger than the vertical component. In considering the fate of contaminant transport, old river channels might provide a route that speeds up the horizontal journey of chemicals that are known to have spilled in the area. Using historical maps that date back to when El Paso was nothing more than a few homes next to the road were utilized to identify channels, acequias or arroyos that were being used at the time for irrigation or other purposes. These locations were then analyzed to determine if they lie in areas where spills of contaminants are known to have happened. The end result is a map of the area delimiting zones that might aid the transport of contaminants to the water table.