Cabresto Dam

About Cabresto Dam

The primary purpose of Cabresto Dam is irrigation. The dam stores and diverts water for agricultural irrigation, supporting farming operations in the surrounding area. The dam is owned by Cabresto Lake Irrig.co;llano Community Ditch (local government). It impounds the Lake Fork Creek near Questa.

The dam stands 78 feet tall and stretches 218 feet across, creates a reservoir covering 28 acres, has a maximum storage capacity of 1,442 acre-feet, and collects water from a drainage area of 8 square miles. Completed in 2012, the structure is relatively new.

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 satisfactory, indicating no existing or potential dam safety deficiencies are recognized. An emergency action plan is in place for this dam. The most recent inspection on record was 06/20/2019.

At 78 feet, this dam is taller than 97% 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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