As water levels drop in Elephant Butte, Reclamation prepares for conditions not seen since the 1950s
Recent rains have brought some relief to Elephant Butte reservoir in southern New Mexico, but the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation is still preparing for low levels that have not been seen since the 1950s.
Mary Carlson, a spokesperson for the BOR, said three decades of drought conditions where dry years have not been offset by multiple years of good precipitation have had a negative impact on reservoirs throughout the stateand Elephant Butte is no exception.
Elephant Butte provides the state with a wide range of economic benefits from attracting tourists to providing farmers and ranchers with irrigation water.
Located north of Truth or Consequences in Sierra County, the states largest reservoir stores water for southern New Mexico and Texas and is an important component of the Rio Grande Compact. As of Tuesday, the reservoir was at just 7.3 percent of capacity.
Read more: https://nmpoliticalreport.com/2021/07/01/as-water-levels-drop-in-elephant-butte-bor-prepares-for-conditions-not-seen-since-the-1950s/