Water is a precious resource especially in the desert whether from a well or rain.    Rainwater is excellent but sporadic and averages just 8 inches in a good year.  Well water in SV is mostly unpotable.

1. Rainwater

CASL has maximized the use of rainwater by installing sturdy, large rain gutters on buildings to collect light rains that barely drip off the roof as well as the summer monsoons, so heavy, the water runs over the top of a common residential rain gutter onto the ground at the base of the building foundation where it does more harm than good. Our commercial gutters and the 1-foot-wide hand-welded ones have proved to be good options.

 Storage tanks are necessities for our rainwater system.  The one underground tank we have is great for keeping the water cool and away from algae producing light.  The exterior of all above ground plastic tanks are painted with latex house paint to protect from UV degradation.  If we had unlimited funds, all the storage tanks would be underground.  That said, then a sump pump would be needed to distribute the water; thus increasing the complexity of the system.

2. Well-water comes from the Mimbres Aquifer which, for the most part, is excellent, good tasting water in the northern portion. For example, the City of Deming has excellent well-water, good tasting and plants love it.  But Blue Horse, east and south of Deming has unpotable water with micro sand.

In our area, well water needs to be pumped slowly into a settling tank to minimize micro sand in the plumbing and hopefully minimize the underground cavity created when micro sand is extracted.  A small solar powered well pump was installed at Blue Horse to minimize stirring up the micro sand and a 1,500-gallon storage tank helps further settle out the micro sand before being filtered by a whole house filter.

Blue Horse well water was tested for toxic levels of arsenic, sodium fluoride and contaminants, in addition to micro sand our water has 6.63 mg/L sodium fluoride[1].   It’s dynamite for washing but not potable for human or animal consumption.  Drinking water with such high fluoride content can make bones brittle and mottle tooth enamel.  The pump hangs in the well at approx. 82’.

3. Grey water.   CASL tries to maximize the use of greywater by piping to water trees and flowers.  We use underground distribution to minimize flies and smell.

[1] EPA says 4 mg/L is maximum for safe drinking water. 

Air

Air temperatures are extreme here.  Usually 20-30 degrees difference morning to night and summers have been known to stay in the 90F for several months with more and more days over 100F.  Record to date, 116F.

In the High Chihuahuan Desert most animals live underground and are nocturnal.  CASL is utilizing the moderate ground temperatures for heating and cooling buildings.   

1.      Tower.  CASL is putting more living space underground with a small basement covered by a 2-story tower above ground for those few days and hours of moderate temperatures, low wind, and wonderful sunshine.  Towers are common in desert regions around the world to help create air flow and release hot air from buildings.  At Blue Horse, a 15’ x 15’ cooling tower is under construction.  It will provide 3 levels for living space: basement, ground floor media room, 2nd floor bedroom plus roof observation..

2.  Heat pump inside environmental room (under construction)for the main house.   Air will be modified by in-ground air pipes for keeping the heat pump supplied with earth-temperature fresh air in winter and summer.  Ground temps here are about 65F year around.

3.  Interior air filter.   The indoor heat pump “registers” filters airborne dust inside the residence.

Soil:  The top 3 feet of soil covering most of Blue Horse is listed as Hondale by USDA soil maps.  Locally it’s called caliche, very fine clay particles.  Rain turns it into deep mud that makes all unimproved roads impassable with just a slight rain. 

The Land and Compost.  We soon realized something was needed to improve the heavy clay soil. Once educated about the beauty and wonder of compost, we decided this should be a long-term sustainable effort.  Compost has created organically rich soil in this land of clay and sand.  It utilizes local products including manure from free-range cattle and green weeds plus spoiled food from a nearby food bank.