A breach in an irrigation ditch has cut off the water supply a northwestern New Mexico community.
The Daily Times reports that Bloomfield city officials are urging residents to take conservation measures after an 80-foot stretch of bank along the Bloomfield Irrigation Ditch collapsed Monday morning.
The ditch fills the city's reservoir with water from the San Juan River. City Manager Eric Strahl says there is enough water in the reservoir to last up to 15 days, but repair work could take longer than that. He says the city has stopped watering its parks and sports fields.
Andrew Dean, chairman of the irrigation district's board, says between 10,000 and 20,000 tons of dirt and rock washed away. He estimates that rebuilding the bank will take at least two weeks.
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