La Luz-fresnal East Reservoir

About La Luz-fresnal East Reservoir

The primary purpose of La Luz-fresnal East Reservoir 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 37 feet tall and stretches 2,755 feet across, creates a reservoir covering 14 acres, and has a maximum storage capacity of 374 acre-feet. Completed in 1993, the structure is 33 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.

At 37 feet, this dam is taller than 84% 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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