Starting From Scratch Digging Deeper

The first big hurdle we had to cross in building our new ranch was finding water.

- Bobbie Jo Lieberman

Falling in love with our New Mexico property was the easy part---not only were the 55 acres of rolling hills studded with juniper trees and pinyon pines and covered in native blue grama grass, but they were surrounded by a half dozen mountain ranges.

My husband Kenny Weber and I envisioned our horses traversing those hills, getting fit while escaping the heat and humidity of southern Texas. But we found the prospect of starting from scratch daunting. With water availability a key issue throughout much of the Southwest, we were rolling the dice. Would we find enough water there to sustain our horses as well as ourselves year-round? Or would we resign ourselves to hauling water in---at a steep price---and making our dream a seasonal one?

Some of our neighbors had excellent-producing wells; others did not have such good fortune. But about a half mile from our property was a windmill-fed stock tank that reportedly had never gone dry in 100 years.

“When I saw the stock tank just north of me and learned it had never failed in a century, that sealed my decision to buy because it was clear to me there was a reliable, year-round stream flow in the wash,” said our neighbor Karl Phaler. “While ascertaining its exact main course might be difficult, the default solution to well-siting was simply to put it up close to the wash,” he added.

That windmill and stock tank on the corner, and Karl’s endorsement of its longevity, gave us the courage to move forward.

Now we needed to find a well driller. We learned of an outfit---Elliott Brothers Drilling--- out of Pie Town that used the ancient art of dowsing for water to help pinpoint the most auspicious locations to drill. Kathy Elliott had the gift, and now her son Jesse did. It’s a controversial practice but a popular one in these drought stricken times.