Santa Rosa Dam

Santa Rosa Dam

Santa Rosa Dam and Reservoir
Location of Santa Rosa Dam
Country United States
Location Guadalupe County, New Mexico
Coordinates 35°01′42″N 104°41′19″W / 35.0283°N 104.6886°WCoordinates: 35°01′42″N 104°41′19″W / 35.0283°N 104.6886°W
Purpose Irrigation and flood control
Opening date 1979
Dam and spillways
Height 214 feet (65 m)
Length 1,900 feet (580 m)
Reservoir
Total capacity 717,000 acre feet (884,000,000 m3)
Surface area 26 square miles (67 km2)

Santa Rosa Dam (National ID # NM00185) is a dam in Guadalupe County, New Mexico.

The earthen dam was constructed by the United States Army Corps of Engineers, with a height of 214 feet and 1900 feet long at its crest.[1] The uppermost major dam along the Pecos River, it serves for irrigation water storage and flood control.[2] Originally proposed in 1951 and authorized in 1954, the dam (then known as the Los Esteros project) generated controversy, as the Fort Sumner Irrigation District which depended on the Pecos River contended it would increase evaporation rates. It was not until 1971 when an agreement was reached to reduce the permanent storage pool at Los Esteros. Construction lasted from 1974 to 1979, and the name of the dam and lake were changed to Santa Rosa the following year.[3]

The reservoir it creates, Santa Rosa Lake, has a normal water surface area of 26 square miles, a maximum capacity of 717,000 acre-feet, and a normal capacity of 200,000 acre-feet.[4] Recreation includes fishing (for largemouth bass, catfish and walleye), boating, camping, and other activities at the adjacent Santa Rosa Lake State Park.

References

  1. ↑ http://ce-npdp-serv2.stanford.edu/DamDirectory/DamDetail.jsp?npdp_id=NM00158
  2. ↑ http://www.spa.usace.army.mil/Missions/CivilWorks/Recreation/SantaRosaLake.aspx
  3. ↑ Clark, Ira G. (1987). Water in New Mexico: A History of its Management and Use. University of New Mexico Press. p. 417. ISBN 0-82630-923-2.
  4. ↑ http://findlakes.com/santa_rosa_lake_new-mexico~nm00158.htm