Albuquerque Area Office

The Albuquerque Area Office is one of the largest in Reclamation reaching from the Alamosa area of southern Colorado through most of New Mexico and into west Texas. Staff here manage delivery of water on the Rio Grande, Rio Chama, Pecos, and Canadian rivers from the main office in Albuquerque and six field offices in Alamosa, Colorado; Alamogordo, Chama, Elephant Butte, and Socorro, New Mexico; and El Paso, Texas. This office is also responsible for overseeing the management of nine major dams with a combined reservoir storage capacity of more than 3.5 million acre-feet that supply water for more than 439,000 acres of irrigated land and several municipal drinking water projects. They also oversee hydropower production at Elephant Butte Dam, and research and testing at the Brackish Groundwater National Desalination and Research Facility.

News and Highlights

  • News Release – Oct. 19, 2022

    Summer rains help keep Rio Grande flowing

    ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Careful management of limited water supplies and steady rainfall through much of the summer are being credited for helping keep the Rio Grande flowing. Read More 

  • News Story – July 26, 2022

    A section of the now dry Rio Grande in southern Albuquerque, south of the Avenida Cesar Chavez bridgeDrought Intensifies on the Rio Grande

    Near record temperatures and extreme drought conditions have led to drying of the Rio Grande in the Albuquerque area for the first time since the early 1980s. Read More 

  • News Release – May 25, 2022

    Excavator cutting away sediment sludge long dam steel platesConstruction begins on El Vado Dam

    ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The Bureau of Reclamation this week began safety modifications at El Vado Dam located along the Rio Chama in northern New Mexico. Modifications ensure the continued structural stability of the facility which provides irrigation water for the Middle Rio Grande Valley including six Pueblos. Read More 

  • News Release – April 20, 2022

    Reclamation prepares for another below average water runoff into the Rio Grande

    ALBUQUERQUE,N.M.– Strategic coordination on water operations will again be key along the Rio Grande this summer as water managers prepare for another below average spring runoff amidst continuing drought. Read More 

Environmental Planning Current Focus

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Last Updated: 10/19/22