The crops had to be planted in such a way that they were not growing in the middle of the stream bed where they would get washed away. 
The Anasazi people at Mesa Verde and other tribes in the Colorado Plateau developed several methods for obtaining water for domestic and agricultural use. Their crops consisted mainly of corn, beans, and squash.
Crops were often planted along the bottoms of dry stream beds. When a rainstorm occurred, water would run off into these arroyos and water the plants.
The crops had to be planted in such a way that they were not growing in the middle of the stream bed where they would get washed away. Crops also couldn't be planted too far out from the stream bed or they would be buried in sediments left by the receding water. The Anasazi and other tribes throughout the Colorado Plateau built small terraces and check dams at the mouths of small arroyos. These structures captured water flowing in the arroyos for use in irrigating crops.
The Anasazi constructed water catchment basins and reservoirs. Dams were constructed from stones and reservoirs were built in natural depressions in the earth. These basins contained rain water or spring water.
Mummy Lake at Mesa Verde was a stone-lined reservoir approximately 90 feet in diameter and
12 feet deep. It was used to store the domestic water supply.The Anasazi constructed ditches for transporting water, though not to the extent of the Hohokam people of Arizona.
Far View Ditch at Mesa Verde originated at Mummy Lake and extended approximately 4 miles in
length. The ditch, an average of 30 feet wide and 6 to 18 inches deep, carried primarily domestic
water.
