Bonito Dam

About Bonito Dam

The primary purpose of Bonito Dam 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 Rio Bonito near Bonito.

The dam stands 113 feet tall and stretches 480 feet across, creates a reservoir covering 38 acres, has a storage capacity of 1,230 acre-feet, and collects water from a drainage area of 33 square miles. Completed in 1930, 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 fair — the dam has minor deficiencies that are being addressed or do not pose an immediate safety threat. Notably, no emergency action plan is currently on file for this high-hazard dam. The most recent inspection on record was 04/30/2019.

At 113 feet, this dam is taller than 98% 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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