Elephant Butte Dam Turns 100

Written by: Mary Carlson

Elephant Butte DamIn 1916, New Mexico newspapers described the completion and dedication of Elephant Butte Dam as an event of “world-wide importance in the irrigation field.” One hundred years later, the impact the dam has had on southern New Mexico, west Texas and Mexico continues to be an accomplishment to be celebrated.

The Bureau of Reclamation was joined by the Elephant Butte Irrigation District and El Paso County Water Improvement District No. 1 to host a ceremony on October 19, 2016, marking the centennial of Elephant Butte Dam. Standing 301 feet high and 1,674 feet long and containing 618,785 cubic yards of concrete, it was touted as the largest dam in the United States and the second largest in the world at the time of its completion.

“Looking at the photo displays around the area today, I can’t help but recognize the enormous achievement of the people who built this dam,” Bureau of Reclamation Deputy Commissioner David Palumbo said during the ceremony. “And I wonder if they had any inkling of an idea of the tremendous resource their work would provide to this area 100 years later.”

Before the dam could be constructed, railroad tracks had to be constructed to connect the damsite area to the Santa Fe Railroad. This allowed for the delivery of supplies and ultimately visitors to the construction site. A small town to house and feed the hundreds of workers who built the dam also had to be constructed. Towers on both sides of the dam were constructed to support cable lines capable of carrying a tremendous amount of weight to aid crews in the construction process.

Palumbo recognized the contribution the water supply and flood protection provided by Elephant Butte Dam to the robust agricultural economies of southern New Mexico and west Texas. Palumbo and a representative from the International Boundary and Water Commission emphasized the important role Elephant Butte has played in supporting a treaty with Mexico.

The Convention between the United States and Mexico of 1906 stated that after the completion of the proposed storage dam near Engle, New Mexico, the United States would provide 60,000 acre feet of water to Mexico, thus making Elephant Butte Dam central to solving an international dispute.

The Rio Grande Project extends from the top of Elephant Butte Reservoir to forty miles southeast of El Paso, Texas. It includes Elephant Butte and Caballo Dams, six diversion dams, 141 miles of canals, 462 miles of laterals, 457 miles of drains, and a 27,945-kilowatt hydroelectric power plant. The power plant only produces power during the irrigation season when water is being released for irrigation.

Elephant Butte Irrigation District board member Robert Faubion shared an advertisement, which was one of a series that ran nationally in the early 1900s. It was also one of the factors that led his grandparents to move from central to west Texas, and then ultimately to southern New Mexico.

"Wanted: Desirable men and women with farm experience and funds to settle and develop the lands in the valleys under the Rio Grande Irrigation Project from below Fabens, Texas to Elephant Butte Dam, north of Las Cruces, New Mexico," the advertisement read.

Faubion says the impact the construction of this dam had on southern New Mexico and west Texas is practically “incalculable.” Between 20,000 and 40,000 acres were irrigated through various ditch companies in southern New Mexico before Elephant Butte Dam was built. Today, the Elephant Butte Irrigation District is comprised of more than 90,000 acres of irrigable lands.

The more certain supply of water and the protection of a dam from severe flooding were likely very appealing to farmers who ultimately settled in the area, according to Faubion and Jesus Reyes, manager of the El Paso County Water Improvement District No. 1.

“The El Paso area was a farming area going back to the 1600s. During that time, of course, there was no dam and during the spring runoff, the river water would rush down and flood some of the farming area and cause problems for those trying to cultivate crops,” Reyes said. “Control of the Rio Grande and controlled releases assured people that we would have water throughout the irrigation season, instead of just when the snowmelt would come,” Reyes said.

Reyes says the El Paso area has become well known for its production of pima cotton in recent years and it’s seeing more and more acreage going to pecan farming. El Paso County Water Improvement District No. 1 now accounts for delivery of water to approximately 69,010 acres of land. During the irrigation season, the Rio Grande project also provides 50 percent of the potable water used by the citizens of El Paso County.

New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez was also among those who celebrated the dam's centennial, touting the economic impact that Elephant Butte Dam has had on agriculture in southern New Mexico by explaining that Dona Ana County is southern New Mexico leads the nation in Pecan production and is the home to one of the largest pecan orchards in the world. She also recognized the recreational benefit Elephant Butte Reservoir has provided to New Mexico and Texas over the years. Elephant Butte Lake State Park is the largest state park in New Mexico and often sees more than 100,000 visitors during holiday weekends.

Martinez and Palumbo both joked about the important role Elephant Butte Dam and the Rio Grande Project had in ensuring the adequate supply of Hatch Green Chile.

Palumbo concluded the event by addressing the impacts of the ongoing drought.

“Through almost a decade of extreme drought, it has supplied water to New Mexico, Texas and Mexico,” Palumbo said. “We have seen highs and lows at Elephant Butte during its 100-year history; from the record lows of the 1950’s to a full and spilling reservoir in the 1980s. It has met its mission well during these past 100 years, and I’m confident it will continue providing a stable water supply for the Rincoln, Mesilla and El Paso Valleys well into the future.”

Published on October 19, 2016