Ramah Dam

About Ramah Dam

The primary purpose of Ramah Dam is irrigation. The dam stores and diverts water for agricultural irrigation, supporting farming operations in the surrounding area. The dam is owned by Ramah Land And Irrigation Company (local government). It impounds the Cebolla Creek near Ramah.

The dam stands 40 feet tall and stretches 1,100 feet across, creates a reservoir covering 514 acres, has a maximum storage capacity of 9,620 acre-feet, and collects water from a drainage area of 47 square miles. Completed in 1900, 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. 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 04/19/2016. That was 9 years ago, which is on the longer end for a high-hazard structure.

At 40 feet, this dam is taller than 87% of dams nationwide.

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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