La Luz-fresnal North & South Reservoirs

About La Luz-fresnal North & South Reservoirs

The primary purpose of La Luz-fresnal North & South Reservoirs is water supply. The dam stores water for municipal, industrial, or agricultural use, helping ensure a reliable supply for the surrounding area. The dam is owned by City Of Alamogordo (local government). It impounds the Fresnal Canyon -os near La Luz.

The dam stands 28 feet tall and stretches 1,015 feet across, creates a reservoir covering 11 acres, and has a maximum storage capacity of 270 acre-feet. Completed in 1961, the structure is well into its service life at over 50 years 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. 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 01/24/2018. That was 8 years ago, which is on the longer end for a high-hazard structure.

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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