Elephant Butte Reservoir Water Level
New Mexico · Rio Grande
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Water level history
About Elephant Butte Reservoir
Elephant Butte Reservoir is a reservoir on the Rio Grande in New Mexico, operated by U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. It's the largest reservoir in New Mexico. Its full summer pool sits at 4407 ft above sea level. Live water levels come from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (RISE) and update daily, typically on a one- to two-week reporting lag.
Understanding Elephant Butte Reservoir's water level
Elephant Butte is the largest reservoir in New Mexico, the centerpiece of the federal Rio Grande Project, and its water level is really a gauge of how much water the Rio Grande has to give. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation operates it mainly to store irrigation water, with hydropower and recreation added, holding it up to a full elevation near 4,407 feet above sea level. Like other big Western storage reservoirs, its level reflects multi-year drought and irrigation demand rather than a spring-to-fall recreation cycle, so it can stay far below full for years at a time.
The lake fills from Rio Grande snowmelt and runoff and is drawn down through the irrigation season to serve farms downstream. In wet years it can approach its spillway, as it last did in the mid-1980s, when a high stand in July 1985 kept the spillway in use into 1988. But sustained drought has repeatedly left it nearly empty: in the worst dry spells the reservoir has held only a tiny fraction of its roughly two-million-acre-foot capacity, on the order of just a few percent full.
When Elephant Butte drops that low, the effects reach well beyond the lake. Its stored water irrigates around 178,000 acres across New Mexico, far west Texas and Mexico, including a treaty delivery of 60,000 acre-feet a year to Mexico, so a low reservoir forces farmers toward expensive groundwater. On the water itself, the lake is a boating and fishing destination anchored by Elephant Butte Lake State Park, with striped bass, largemouth bass, walleye and channel catfish, and a low reservoir means long walks from parking lots to the shrinking shoreline.
Elephant Butte Reservoir — frequently asked
Why is Elephant Butte Reservoir often so low?
Elephant Butte is a multi-year irrigation storage reservoir on the drought-prone Rio Grande, so its level reflects long-term water supply, not a seasonal cycle. During sustained drought, inflow shrinks while irrigation demand continues, and the reservoir can be drawn down to just a few percent of its roughly two-million-acre-foot capacity.
What is full pool for Elephant Butte, and how low has it gotten?
Full elevation is near 4,407 feet above sea level. In severe droughts the reservoir has fallen to only a small fraction of capacity, on the order of a few percent full, while its last major high stand was in the mid-1980s, when the spillway was in use into 1988.
Who depends on Elephant Butte's water?
The reservoir supplies the Rio Grande Project, irrigating around 178,000 acres of farmland across New Mexico, far west Texas and Mexico, including a treaty delivery of 60,000 acre-feet a year to Mexico. That is why a low reservoir pushes farmers toward costly groundwater.
Will one wet year refill Elephant Butte?
Usually not. Because it is a large storage reservoir feeding heavy irrigation demand, a single good snow year helps but rarely refills it. Recovery generally takes several wet years, and a low reservoir can persist well into the next season.
What fish are in Elephant Butte?
The lake holds striped bass, largemouth bass, walleye and channel catfish, among others. Because the shoreline moves so much with the level, access and conditions change as the reservoir rises and falls.
What is Elephant Butte Reservoir used for?
It stores irrigation water for the Rio Grande Project, generates hydropower, and is New Mexico's largest reservoir for recreation, with Elephant Butte Lake State Park drawing boaters, anglers and campers.
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