New Mexico Reservoir Levels

Recent Conditions
Published October 24, 2011

New Mexico Reservoir Levels

 (data through 9/30/11)
Data Source(s): National Water and Climate Center

Total storage in New Mexico reservoirs at the end of September was virtually unchanged from the previous month, excluding the Heron and El Vado reservoirs, which did not report data in September (Figure 7). Elephant Butte, New Mexico’s third largest reservoir, contained only about 200,000 acre-feet of water, which is about 13 percent of capacity. Storage in the Pecos River reservoirs was also very low.

In water-related news, the Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project, which will benefit 250,000 Native Americans, was selected by the Obama administration as one of just a few infrastructure projects to undergo an expedited permit process (New Mexico Independent, October 11). The project is expected to be completed in 2024 and will pump 37,375 acre-feet of water per year from the San Juan River Basin. Also, the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish is conducting a $300,000 fish habitat restoration project along the San Juan River to reduce the impacts on trout from expected lower flows. (Farmington New Mexico Daily Times, October 6).

New Mexico reservoor levels as a percent of capacity
Notes:

The map gives a representation of current storage levels for reservoirs in New Mexico. Reservoir locations are numbered within the blue circles on the map, corresponding to the reservoirs listed in the table. The cup next to each reservoir shows the current storage level (blue fill) as a percent of total capacity. Note that while the size of each cup varies with the size of the reservoir, these are representational and not to scale. Each cup also represents last year’s storage level (dotted line) and the 1971–2000 reservoir average (red line).

The table details more exactly the current capacity level (listed as a percent of maximum storage). Current and maximum storage levels are given in thousands of acre-feet for each reservoir. One acre-foot is the volume of water sufficient to cover an acre of land to a depth of 1 foot (approximately 325,851 gallons). On average, 1 acre-foot of water is enough to meet the demands of 4 people for a year. The last column of the table list an increase or decrease in storage since last month. A line indicates no change.

These data are based on reservoir reports updated monthly by the National Water and Climate Center of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS). For additional information, contact Wayne Sleep, wayne.sleep@nm.usda.gov.

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