Ruidoso here we come! (Hope: college, price, pine)

[rruff]

Originally Posted by jaxart

People who live on the Bonito Creek drainage downstream from the dam have only sporadic flow depending on the earthen dam's leakage, or gratuitous release from the dam into the stream bed by Alamogordo authorities. Heavy rainfall can cause the dam to overflow via the spillway at the dam, the only time today that the downstream areas see good water flows.

Very true... the land we bought is near the Bonito creek. When we have a low snowfall year (like last winter and the one before) Alamogordo is apparently able to pump out whatever normally falls in the summer, and the stream is mostly dry except for brief times when showers wash in downstream of the lake.

And they apparently don't care about flood control at all, since they fill up the lake completely anytime they can. When we had the floods last year the Bonito flooded just as bad as the Ruidoso, though it could have been totally prevented. It went from no water at all to a raging torrent several hundred feet wide in some places.

[rruff]

Originally Posted by White Mountain

I keep on finding info about a shortage of water that becomes a concern to those in the Ruidoso area, thoughts?

Just look at all the golf courses and tell me there is a shortage...

"Water shortage" means there are more people wanting to use water than what is readily available. Most of it is used for agriculture, and these claims go back over a hundred years. So yes, if the population grows and these towns do not have a claim to an amount of water that would service that population, then there is a problem. AFAIK, water rights can be bought though, so it is just a matter of paying the price unless you are in the middle of the desert with no sources at all. Using our limited water to irrigate alfalfa in the desert (or golf courses for that matter) seems a little bit silly to me...

Well water is usually pretty nasty around here... lots of minerals and sometimes sulfur and methane. It needs to be treated.

Now this coming question may sound strange but, before I started thinking about Ruidoso I was planning on a move to Southern Oregon. Ashland Oregon is in the mountains and for the most part is clear, but there are times that the mountains lock in the smog and the air quality is not very good.

We get a little spring dust, but not nearly as bad as the desert areas. Sometimes the sky is fairly hazy but I think that is due to controlled (or uncontrolled) burns in the forest. We might be getting a little smog from Juarez/ El Paso and ABQ some days, but I have a keen nose for ozone, and I've never noticed any at all.

[White Mountain]

Thanks so much,,,again a boat load of great information.
Since I have some time before we make the move, I am hoping to ask some questions that others may have in mind that maybe looking at the Ruidoso area in the future, and hopefully this thread can be a help...
In our case, these are not make or break question, however they are questions that are important when making plans to move there, as I can make plans to adjust to what the answers are and also to have knowledge so we can be prepared.
Like the water issue is something I want to be prepared for and not be surprised about.
I look forward to check out the Blues festival and SPENCER THEATER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS!
One of the reason I was excited to go to Ashland Oregon was the Shakespearean Festival, as there are a myriad of plays to go watch and I want to be able to see plays and concerts more than I have for in a long long time..so I am excited to see what Spencer has to offer....
Anyone play golf?
Looks like a great evening there....enjoy!
Take care
White Mountain.

[songinthewind7]

My sig. other plays golf regularly here in Timberon.
The course here is closed now but it can still be played by the honor system.

[White Mountain]

I played golf in HS, but since then have only went to the driving range from time to time. But once I get to Ruidoso, I plan to see if I can't sharpen my game..So when I get up there, if your sig other has no one to run the courses with maybe we can play a bit together
White Mountain.

[JDTH]

I have not been witness to this but there are claims that one can ski on Ski Apache in the morning and golf in the afternoon in the winter in Ruidoso.

[White Mountain]

Well, I will just have to check that out for myself JDTH...!
That make for a great nights sleep as I would be exhausted
I'm no spring chicken anymore
White Mountain.

[jaxart]

Originally Posted by JDTH

I have not been witness to this but there are claims that one can ski on Ski Apache in the morning and golf in the afternoon in the winter in Ruidoso.

So true - but with the caveat that the grass is "winter dead" on the golf courses during those months. "Winter rules" apply - if you're a golfer you'll know what those rules generally are. The management also uses the spring/fall months for grooming the course - topsoiling/sanding the greens, etc. But most of the winter the courses are not snow covered - at least not entirely.

CAVEAT: Golf is NOT a cheap sport and especially so here in this tourist mecca. There are plenty of options for the general public to play but some of the courses are, of course, "members/guests only" and not open to the public. I count 8 public courses - if I include those at nearby Alamogordo, Cloudcroft and Carrizozo. Add to that at least five private or members-only courses. And more courses are in the plans for "future" developments!

And no wonder there is a water shortage here. Most people don't realize that to irrigate an 18 hole golf course - on the average - requires as much water as is used by a city of 30,000 people on a given day. And "on the average" doesn't apply to golf courses in hot arid climates! R.D. Hubbard (race track owner) was unable (I'm told) to acquire enough water for his new golf course called "The Hideout" and had to drill 2 MILES DEEP to bypass state regulations for pumping ground water without water rights. Legislation has been passed to prevent what would have been state-wide copycats doing the same thing.

An aside: The very first golf course in Ruidoso was (as I recall) only nine holes and the "greens" were OILED SAND - not grass - thereby obviating the need to irrigate. The "fairways" were simply the mowed native grasses with lots of naturally occurring bare spots.
The city-owned golf course in Carrizozo wasn't much better than that until recently - although they did irrigate the greens which had the usual short grass. A land developer has taken over maintenance of that course in a mutual agreement with the town, and I'm told that it's in much more playable condition now.

[rruff]

Originally Posted by jaxart

R.D. Hubbard (race track owner) was unable (I'm told) to acquire enough water for his new golf course called "The Hideout" and had to drill 2 MILES DEEP to bypass state regulations for pumping ground water without water rights. Legislation has been passed to prevent what would have been state-wide copycats doing the same thing.

If that is in the "Copper" development, it is directly west (upstream) of the land we bought, and I'm very grateful that people went to the trouble to sue him... else the water table would have been sucked down quite a bit.

Speaking of the water issues, as I recall reading in the paper awhile back, plans for a water park at the Swiss Chalet property were shot down because "concerned residents" feared that the water couldn't be spared. But a water park recycles their water, and uses *much* less than a golf course...

The Spencer has shows and plays on a regular basis, and the Inn of the Mountain Gods has concerts occasionally... but I haven't been to either.

[JDTH]

The Spencer Theater is gorgeous. I've been there twice, a Buddy Holly tribute and Jesus Christ Superstar. Both were very good. The tickets were a little pricey, but we are supporting local business. I would hate to see it fail.

I think I was the only person wearing sneakers and shorts! I got some weird looks, but that's okay with me. I'm not out to please the others!