Carson Dam

About Carson Dam

The primary purpose of Carson Dam 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 Mondragon, Ted;van Buren, Maurie (private). It impounds the Rio Grande - Tr near Carson.

The dam stands 65 feet tall and stretches 615 feet across, creates a reservoir covering 390 acres, has a maximum storage capacity of 7,622 acre-feet, and collects water from a drainage area of 176 square miles. Completed in 1935, the structure is well-established, with more than 75 years of service.

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. Its condition is rated poor, meaning the dam has recognized safety deficiencies that require remediation to address risks. Notably, no emergency action plan is currently on file for this high-hazard dam. The most recent inspection on record was 09/16/2020.

At 65 feet, this dam is taller than 96% 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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