Los Alamos Canyon Dam

About Los Alamos Canyon Dam

The primary purpose of Los Alamos Canyon 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 Los Alamos County (local government). It impounds the Los Alamos Canyon near Los Alamos.

The dam stands 50 feet tall and stretches 215 feet across, creates a reservoir covering 2 acres, has a maximum storage capacity of 74 acre-feet, and collects water from a drainage area of 6 square miles. Completed in 1943, 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 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 08/03/2017. That was 8 years ago, which is on the longer end for a high-hazard structure.

At 50 feet, this dam is taller than 93% 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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