Rio Grande dams and diversions are structures that store water along the Rio Grande or its tributaries, or that divert water for use in irrigation. The first diversions were made by the Pueblo Indians over 1,000 years ago. More permanent diversions were built by the Spanish in New Mexico to feed acequias, or shared irrigation canals.[1] The first dam to impound the Rio Grande was the Rio Grande Dam, completed in 1914, followed by the Elephant Butte Dam, completed in 1916.
Projects
editSeveral major projects have undertaken construction of dams and diversion in the Rio Grande basin.
The Rio Grande Project built the Elephant Butte Dam and the Caballo Dam. A number of diversion dams were also constructed in this project, including the Leasburg, Percha, Mesilla, American and Riverside diversion dams.[2] The Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District built El Vado Dam and the Angostura, Isleta and San Acacia diversion dams. Rehabilitation of these dams, and construction of the Cochiti Dam were undertaken by the Middle Rio Grande Project.[1] The San Juan–Chama Project brings water to the Rio Grande basin from the Colorado River Basin, building the Heron Dam to store some of the water, with an expansion of the El Vado Dam storing some of the remainder. The Closed Basin Project extracts groundwater from the San Luis Valley and delivers it into the Rio Grande.
Pecos River
editThe Pecos River is the largest tributary of the Rio Grande, and several dams have been built along it. These include the Sumner Dam, Santa Rosa Dam, Brantley Dam, Avalon Dam and Red Bluff Dam.
List of structures
editStructures include:[3]
| Name | Complete | Owner | Capacity | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Closed Basin Project | early 1990s | Bureau of Reclamation | 25,000 acre-feet annually | Field of salvage wells in the San Luis Valley, Colorado |
| Rio Grande Dam and Reservoir | 1914 | San Luis Valley Irrigation District | 52,000 acre-feet | Near Creede, Colorado |
| Platoro Dam and Reservoir | 1951 | Bureau of Reclamation | 59,570 acre-feet | Conejos River, Colorado |
| Heron Dam and Reservoir | 1971 | Bureau of Reclamation | 399,980 acre-feet | Willow Creek at confluence with the Rio Chama |
| El Vado Dam and Reservoir | 1935 | Bureau of Reclamation | 195,440 acre-feet | Rio Chama, New Mexico |
| Abiquiu Dam and Reservoir | 1963 | Corps of Engineers | 1,192,800 acre-feet | Rio Chama, New Mexico |
| Cochiti Dam and Cochiti Lake | 1973 | Corps of Engineers | 582,019 acre-feet | Sandoval County, New Mexico |
| Galisteo Dam and Reservoir | 1970 | Corps of Engineers | 88,900 acre-feet | Galisteo Creek, New Mexico near confluence with the Middle Rio Grande |
| Jemez Canyon Dam and Reservoir | 1953 | Corps of Engineers | 102,700 acre-feet | Confluence of Jemez River and the Middle Rio Grande, New Mexico |
| Angostura Diversion Dam | 1934 | MRGCD | 650 cfs diversion | Middle Rio Grande, 5 miles upstream of Bernalillo, New Mexico |
| Isleta Diversion Dam | 1934 | MRGCD | 1,070 cfs diversion | Middle Rio Grande, 13 mi south of Albuquerque, New Mexico |
| San Acacia Diversion Dam | 1934 | MRGCD | 283 cfs diversion | Middle Rio Grande at San Acacia, New Mexico |
| Elephant Butte Dam and Reservoir | 1916 | Bureau of Reclamation | 2,065,010 acre feet | Middle Rio Grande, 3.75 miles east of Truth or Consequences |
| Caballo Dam and Reservoir | 1938 | Bureau of Reclamation | 331,510 acre-feet | Rio Grande, 17 miles downstream from Elephant Butte Dam |
| Percha Diversion Dam | 1918 | Bureau of Reclamation | 350 cu ft/s diversion | 1 mile (1.6 km) west of the Caballo Dam |
| Leasburg Diversion Dam | 1907 | Bureau of Reclamation | Rio Grande, 5 miles northwest of Las Cruces, New Mexico | |
| Mesilla Diversion Dam | 1916 | Bureau of Reclamation | 950 cu ft/s diversion | 40 miles (64 km) upstream of El Paso |
| American Diversion Dam | 1938 | International Boundary & Water Commission |
1,200 cu ft/s diversion | 3.5 miles upstream from El Paso, Texas |
| International Diversion Dam | 1918 | International Boundary & Water Commission |
60,000 acre feet / year | 2 miles downstream from American Dam |
| Riverside Diversion Dam | 1928 | International Boundary & Water Commission |
900 cu ft/sec diversion | 14 miles downstream from American Dam |
| Amistad Dam | 1968 | International Boundary & Water Commission |
5,100,000 acre-feet | Confluence of the Rio Grande and the Pecos River, Texas |
| Falcon Dam | 1954 | International Boundary & Water Commission |
3,200,000 acre-feet | Between Starr County, Texas and Nueva Ciudad Guerrero, Tamaulipas |
References
editCitations
Sources
- "Dams and Diversions Along the Rio Grande". United States Fish and Wildlife Service. Archived from the original on 2012-06-17. Retrieved 2012-10-06.
- "Middle Rio Grande Project". US Bureau of Reclamation. Archived from the original on 2012-10-03. Retrieved 2012-10-06.
- "Rio Grande Project". US Bureau of Reclamation. Retrieved 2012-10-06.