Elephant Butte Dike

About Elephant Butte Dike

The primary purpose of Elephant Butte Dike is flood risk reduction. The dam is designed to control downstream flooding by temporarily storing excess water during storms and releasing it at a controlled rate. The dam is owned by Bureau Of Reclamation (federal). It impounds the Rio Grande River near Truth Or Consequences.

The dam stands 59 feet tall and stretches 2,000 feet across, creates a reservoir covering 42,750 acres, has a maximum storage capacity of 2,593,255 acre-feet, and collects water from a drainage area of 28,900 square miles. Completed in 1920, the structure is over a century old.

This dam carries a high hazard potential classification, which means that a failure or uncontrolled release of water would likely cause loss of human life. This classification reflects the consequences of failure, not the likelihood — it indicates that people live or work in the area downstream. An emergency action plan is in place for this dam. The most recent inspection on record was 03/02/2023.

At 59 feet, this dam is taller than 95% of all dams in the United States.

Living Downstream

If you live or work downstream of this dam, consider taking these steps: learn your local evacuation routes, check whether your county emergency management office has a dam failure inundation map, and sign up for local emergency alerts. The New Mexico dam safety program can provide more specific information about emergency planning for this structure.

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