Hydrogeology of the Nations Draw area, west-central New Mexico
— William J. Stone

Due to a lack of perennial streams, the main source of water in the Nations Draw area is groundwater. Most wells obtain water from valley-fill alluvium and/or Cretaceous sandstones at or near the surface. Direct groundwater recharge by precipitation is low, 0.02-0.08 inch/yr. Recharge also occurs through transmission loss along streams, but has not been quantified. Groundwater flows westerly, in response to topography, despite the southeasterly dip of strata. Water quality is generally poor, owing to the abundance of mudstone in the sequence, and the major use is stock watering. The discovery of good-quality artesian water in the Dakota Sandstone by the Salt River Project expands the known resources of the area, but this water may not be readily available to most potential users because of its great depth (1000 ft).