Elephant Butte Dam
Elephant Butte Dam or Elephant Butte Dike, originally Engle Dam, is a concrete gravity dam on the Rio Grande near Truth or Consequences, New Mexico. The dam impounds Elephant Butte Reservoir, which is used mainly for agriculture but also provides for recreation, hydroelectricity, and flood and sediment control. The construction of the dam has reduced the flow of the Rio Grande to a small stream for most of the year, with water being released only during the summer irrigation season or during times of exceptionally heavy snow melt.
| Elephant Butte Dam | |
|---|---|
The dam and reservoir at highstand | |
| Country | United States |
| Location | Elephant Butte, New Mexico |
| Coordinates | 33.153969°N 107.192113°W |
| Status | In use |
| Construction began | 1911 |
| Opening date | 1916 |
| Owner(s) | U.S. Bureau of Reclamation |
| Dam and spillways | |
| Type of dam | Gravity |
| Impounds | Rio Grande |
| Height | 301 ft (92 m) |
| Length | 1,674 ft (510 m) |
| Width (crest) | 18 ft (5 m) |
| Width (base) | 228 ft (69 m) |
| Dam volume | 618,785 cu yd (473,095 m3) |
| Spillway type | Concrete chute |
| Reservoir | |
| Creates | Elephant Butte Lake |
| Total capacity | 2,065,010 acre⋅ft (2.547152329×109 m3) |
| Catchment area | 28,900 sq mi (75,000 km2) |
| Surface area | 36,500 acres (14,800 ha) |
| Power Station | |
| Hydraulic head | 140 ft (43 m) (rated) |
| Turbines | 1 x Francis turbine |
| Installed capacity | 27.95 MW |
| Annual generation | 38,449,061 kWh |
Elephant Butte Dam | |
U.S. National Register of Historic Places | |
NM State Register of Cultural Properties | |
The spillway is in the lower left corner of the picture and the power plant is located at the base of the opposite side of the dam. | |
| Nearest city | Elephant Butte, New Mexico |
| Area | 45 acres (18 ha) |
| Built | 1910 |
| Architect | Louis C. Hill |
| Architectural style | Gravity-type |
| NRHP reference No. | 79001556 |
| NMSRCP No. | 617 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | April 9, 1979 |
| Designated NMSRCP | March 20, 1978 |
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