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46-507: The reservoir is part of the Rio Grande Project to provide power and irrigation to south-central New Mexico and western Texas . It began to be filled in 1915 and 1916 and at highstand was the largest man-made lake in the world. The reservoir can hold 2,065,010 acre-feet (2.54715 × 10 m) of water from a drainage of 28,900 square miles (74,850 km). It provides irrigation to 178,000 acres (720 km) of land. Fishing

92-503: A large section of the Mexico–United States border . Illegal immigrants once had to swim across the river at the border, but with the river so low immigrants need only wade across for most of the year. Other than extensive diversions, exotic introduced, fast-growing and water-consuming plants, such as water hyacinth and hydrilla , are also leading to reduced flows. The United States government has recently attempted to slow or stop

138-583: A long, narrow area of 178,000 acres (72,000 ha) in the Rio Grande Valley in south-central New Mexico and western Texas. Crops grown in the region include grain , pecans , alfalfa , cotton , and many types of vegetables. Power generated at the Elephant Butte power plant is distributed through an electrical grid totaling 490 miles (790 km) of 115- kilovolt transmission lines and 11 substations . Originally built by Reclamation,

184-480: A scuba destination in years with a high water level. The American kidnapper and torturer David Parker Ray tortured his victims in his "toy box" trailer near the reservoir between 1957 and 1999. He is suspected of killing his victims and disposing of the bodies in the lake, but one survivor he had thought he killed was left near the American-Mexico border. Officials have conducted searches for his victims at

230-434: A strong vertical bite. Stegomastodon' s third molars molars had at least 5 lophs (ridge-like structures), greater than previous gomphotheres. The strong bite and increased tooth complexity are suggested to be adaptations to a grazing diet. Stegomastodon is suggested to have ultimately originated from New World populations of Gomphotherium, possibly via the intermediate genus Rhynchotherium . The earliest species of

276-513: A visitor center, which contains information on the construction of the dam. It was the second-largest irrigation dam ever built at the time of its construction and was surpassed only in 1970 by the Aswan Dam in Egypt , and the reservoir was the largest man-made lake on earth. A large construction community sprang up, which included two worker camps, railways , water tanks, cableway systems , and

322-435: Is 228 feet (69 m) thick at the base and tapers to about 18 feet (5.5 m) thick at the crest. The dam took 629,500 cubic yards (481,300 m ) of material to construct. The full volume of Elephant Butte Reservoir is some 2,109,423 acre⋅ft (2.601935 × 10  m ), accounting for about 85% of the project's storage capacity. The outlet works of the dam can release 10,800 cu ft/s (310 m /s), while

368-439: Is 7 feet (2.1 m) high above the river and 10 feet (3.0 m) high above its foundations. The dam and adjacent dikes total 3,922.3 feet (1,195.5 m) in length. The dam's spillway is a broad-crested weir about 600 feet (180 m) long with a capacity of 17,000 cu ft/s (480 m /s). The dam diverts water into the 13.7-mile (22.0 km) Leasburg Canal, which irrigates 31,600 acres (12,800 ha) of land in

414-513: Is a popular recreational activity on the reservoir, which contains striped bass , white bass , largemouth bass , crappie , walleye and catfish . The reservoir, dam, and surrounding area are named after a volcanic core, " Elephant Butte ," similarly to Devils Tower , in Wyoming . It is now an island in the lake when the water levels are high. The butte was said to have the shape of an elephant lying on its side. The proposed dam featured in

460-537: Is also a popular site for picnicking, fishing and boating. Elephant Butte Lake State Park and Caballo Lake State Park serve the two reservoirs, respectively. Even before the Rio Grande Project, the waters of the Rio Grande were already overtaxed by human development in the region. At the end of the 19th century, there were some 925 diversions of the river in the state of Colorado alone. In 1896, it

506-552: Is in New Mexico. Some water is also allotted to Mexico to irrigate some 25,000 acres (100 km ) on the south side of the river. The project was authorized in 1905, but its final features were not implemented until the early 1950s. The project consists of two large storage dams, 6 small diversion dams , two flood-control dams, 596 miles (959 km) of canals and their branches and 465 miles (748 km) of drainage channels and pipes. A small hydroelectric plant at one of

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552-475: Is known from NMNH 10707, a roughly 30-year-old male, of which most of the skeleton has been found. Alive, it stood about 2.6 m (8.5 ft) tall, with a weight around 4.7 tonnes (4.6 long tons; 5.2 short tons). Unlike more primitive gomphotheres like Gomphotherium , it lacked lower tusks and had a shortened lower jaw. The upper tusks curved upward and were about 3.5 m (11.5 ft) long, and lacked enamel bands. The tall head and robust lower jaw suggest

598-532: Is located about 40 miles (64 km) upstream of El Paso and consists of a gated overflow structure. The dam is 10 feet (3.0 m) high above the Rio Grande, 22 feet (6.7 m) high above its foundations, and measures 303 feet (92 m) long. The spillway has a capacity of 15,000 cu ft/s (420 m /s). The dam diverts water into the East Side Canal and West Side Canal, which provide irrigation water to 53,650 acres (21,710 ha) of land in

644-477: Is said to be "one of the most stressed river basins in the world". In 2001, the river failed to reach the Gulf of Mexico but instead ended 500 feet (150 m) from the shore behind a sandbar , "not with a roar but with a whimper in the sand". The river's decreasing flow has posed problems for international security. In the past, the river was wide, deep and fast-flowing in its section through Texas, where it forms

690-627: The 1906 Boundary Waters Convention between the United States and Mexico, which specified how much water should be delivered to Mexico after the dam's completion. Elephant Butte Dam was constructed between 1911 and 1916, with the reservoir fill starting in 1915. It was a major engineering feat in its day, and the enormous concrete dam is the major feature of the Elephant Butte National Register Historic District. New Mexico State Parks operates

736-474: The Mexico–United States border . It is 5 feet (1.5 m) high above the riverbed, and 18 feet (5.5 m) from crest to foundation. The spillway is 286 feet (87 m) long and has a capacity of 12,000 cu ft/s (340 m /s). The dam diverts water into the American Canal, which carries up to 1,200 cubic feet per second (34 m /s) of water for 2.1 miles (3.4 km) to the beginning of

782-538: The New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science . Rio Grande Project The Rio Grande Project is a United States Bureau of Reclamation irrigation , hydroelectricity , flood control , and interbasin water transfer project serving the upper Rio Grande basin in the southwestern United States . The project irrigates 193,000 acres (780 km ) along the river in the states of New Mexico and Texas . Approximately 60 percent of this land

828-431: The 1890s, water use in the upper basin was so great that the river's flow near El Paso, Texas , was reduced to a trickle in dry summers. To resolve these problems, plans were drafted up for a large storage dam at Elephant Butte, about 120 miles (190 km) downstream of Albuquerque, New Mexico . The Newlands Reclamation Act was passed in 1902, authorizing the Rio Grande Project as a Bureau of Reclamation undertaking. For

874-598: The El Paso Valley, and has a capacity of about 900 cu ft/s (25 m /s). The Tornillo Canal, with a capacity of 325 cu ft/s (9.2 m /s), branches 12 miles (19 km) off the Riverside Canal. Excess waters from the canals are diverted to irrigate about 18,000 acres (7,300 ha) in Hudspeth County, Texas . The Rio Grande Project furnishes irrigation water year-round to

920-779: The Franklin Canal. The Franklin Canal is 28.4 miles (45.7 km) long and takes water into the El Paso Valle, where it irrigates 17,000 acres (69 km ). Riverside Diversion Dam is the lowermost dam of the Rio Grande Project. The dam is 8 feet (2.4 m) above the streambed, 17.5 feet (5.3 m) above its foundations, and 267 feet (81 m) long. Its service spillway consists of six 16 ft (4.9 m)x8.17 ft (2.49 m) radial gates , and an uncontrolled overflow weir serves as an emergency spillway. The Riverside Canal carries water 17.2 miles (27.7 km) to

966-481: The Rio Grande Project, located about 25 miles (40 km) below Elephant Butte. The dam is 78 feet (24 m) high above the river, 96 feet (29 m) high from its foundations, and 4,558 feet (1,389 m) long. It forms the Caballo Reservoir, which can store up to 343,990 acre⋅ft (0.42431 km ) of water. The outlet works can release 5,000 cubic feet (140 m ) cubic feet per second, while

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1012-497: The Rio Grande and its tributaries. The river would take out some of these primitive structures in its annual floods, and a large, coordinated project would be needed to construct permanent replacements. However, investigations to begin this project did not begin until the early twentieth century. Like many rivers of the American Southwest , runoff in the Rio Grande basin is limited and varies widely from year to year. By

1058-454: The entire irrigation system would be overhauled. This involved repairing, rebuilding and extending old canals; and construction of new laterals. Work is still in progress, as agricultural development in the region continues to grow. The last major components of the project were constructed from the 1930s to the early 1950s. Caballo Dam , the second major storage facility of the project located 21 miles south of Truth or Consequences, New Mexico

1104-523: The filling of the reservoir. When the reservoir started filling in 1915, irrigation use downstream was much more limited than today, which allowed the lake to remain relatively full. The lake experienced highstand for the first time in May 1942. That was the deepest highstand on record and stained the inundated landscape white with gypsum and other minerals and deposited sediments in the surrounding hills. In 1946, new irrigation infrastructure allowed heavy use of

1150-509: The former administration building of the Bureau of Reclamation . The "camps" housed American and Mexican workers throughout the dam's construction. One of the former camps ended up under the reservoir itself; the other disappeared altogether. Moreover, many centuries-old communities and farming villages were "obliterated" by the filling of the reservoir and now lie at the bottom, including complete stone structures. Over 2,000 people were displaced by

1196-473: The genus appeared during the Pliocene ( Blancan ) around 3-4 million years ago. During the early Irvingtonian , around 1.2 million years ago, Stegomastodon became extinct, which is suggested to be due to competition with the recently arrived mammoths , which were more efficient grazers. Originally, some specimens from Jalisco , Mexico were estimated to date to 28,000 years Before Present , but this age

1242-413: The lake but have not found any human remains there or elsewhere that are related to Ray's activities. In 2014, a group celebrating a bachelor party on the exposed sediments of the lake discovered the head and tusks of a 3.2-million-year-old stegomastodon , a relative of true elephants, in excellent condition. That is one of the most complete finds of a stegomastodon in the area. The skull is on display at

1288-543: The lands to be submerged under the future reservoir bogged down the project for a while, but work resumed in 1912 and the reservoir began to fill by 1915. The Franklin Canal was an existing 1890 canal purchased by the Bureau of Reclamation in 1912 and rebuilt from 1914 to 1915. The Mesilla and Percha Diversion Dams, East Side Canal, West Side Canal, Rincon Valley Canal, and an extension of the Leasburg Canal were built in

1334-623: The lower Mesilla Valley. The East Side Canal is 13.5 miles (21.7 km) long, and has a capacity of 300 cu ft/s (8.5 m /s). The West Side Canal is larger at 23.4 miles (37.7 km) long, and has a capacity of 650 cu ft/s (18 m /s). Near its end, the West Side Canal crosses underneath the Rio Grande via the Montoya Siphon. The American Diversion Dam is a gated dam flanked by earthen dikes about 2 miles (3.2 km) northwest of El Paso and just above

1380-641: The next two years, surveyors and engineers undertook a comprehensive feasibility study for the project's dams and reservoirs. The first elements of the project to be built were the Leasburg Diversion Dam and about 6 miles (9.7 km) of supporting canal, begun in 1906 and finished in 1908. Elephant Butte Dam , the largest dam on the Rio Grande, was authorized by the United States Congress on February 15, 1905. Construction began in 1908, when groundworks were laid. Conflicts over

1426-434: The period between 1914 and 1919. In the late 1910s, a problem developed with rising local groundwater levels caused by irrigation. In response, Reclamation began planning for the extensive 465-mile (748 km) drainage system of the Rio Grande Project in 1916. Contracts for the construction of these drainage systems, as well as distribution canals (laterals) were not awarded until the period from 1917 to 1918. Before 1929,

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1472-518: The photographs showing a full lake are from that relatively wet period. Drought has persisted since then, and as of February 2022, water levels have never recovered. The former administration building of the Bureau of Reclamation still stands as a bed and breakfast facility. Along with other structures of the time, it is listed in the National Register of Historic Places . When the lake falls over 10 meters (30 feet) below maximum capacity,

1518-457: The power grid remained under its ownership until 1977, when it was sold to a local company. Caballo and Elephant Butte reservoirs are both popular recreational areas. Elephant Butte Reservoir, with 36,897 acres (149.32 km ) of water at full pool, is popular for swimming, boating, and fishing. Cabins, fishing tackle, and boat rental services are available at the reservoir. Downstream Caballo Reservoir, with an area of 11,500 acres (47 km ),

1564-532: The progress of these weeds by introducing insects and fish that feed on the invasive plants. Stegomastodon Stegomastodon ('roof breast tooth') is an extinct genus of gomphotheres . It ranged throughout North America from the Pliocene (early Blancan ~4 Ma), to the Early Pleistocene (early Irvingtonian , ~1.2 Ma). The former South American species have been synonymized with Notiomastodon platensis . Stegomastodon mirificus

1610-601: The project's dams also supplies electricity to the region. Long before Texas was a state, the Pueblo Indians used the waters of the Rio Grande with simple irrigation systems that were noted by the Spanish in the 16th century while conducting expeditions from Mexico to North America. In the mid-19th century, American settlers began intensive irrigation development of the Rio Grande watershed. Small dikes , dams, canals , and other irrigation works were constructed along

1656-628: The riverbed and 29 feet (8.8 m) above its foundations. . The dam diverts water into the Rincon Valley Main Canal, which is 28.1 miles (45.2 km) long and has a capacity of 350 cu ft/s (9.9 m /s). Water from the canal irrigates 16,260 acres (6,580 ha) of land in the Rincon Valley. Leasburg Diversion Dam is downstream and nearly identical in design to the Percha Diversion Dam. It

1702-400: The ruins of the old machine shop and power plant are out of the water. Located near the southeastern shore, the 3000 square-foot concrete structure was once believed to be the remnants of the old field hospital that served the frequently-injured dam construction crew. That building is actually farther upstream in the aptly-named "Hospital Canyon." Plans are underway to make the machine shop ruins

1748-426: The service spillway can release 34,750 cu ft/s (984 m /s). The reservoir and dam receive water from a catchment of 28,900 square miles (75,000 km ), about 16% of the Rio Grande's total drainage area. The Elephant Butte hydroelectric station is a base load power plant that draws water from the reservoir and has a capacity of 27.95 megawatts . Caballo Dam is the second major storage dam of

1794-558: The spillway has a capacity of 33,200 cubic feet (940 m ) per second. The dam has no power generation facilities, although it has been proposed that a small hydroelectric plant be installed at its base for local irrigation districts. Percha Diversion Dam lies downstream from and 1 mile (1.6 km) west of the Caballo Dam. It consists of a concrete overflow section flanked by earthen wing dikes totaling 2,489 ft (759 m) in length, standing 19 feet (5.8 m) high above

1840-426: The unlined irrigation canals; most of the mechanical fixtures in the system have been routinely replaced and are non-historic. The Elephant Butte Dam (also referred to as Elephant Butte Dike) is the main storage facility for the Rio Grande Project. It is a 1,674 ft (510 m) long concrete gravity dam standing 193 ft (59 m) above the river and 301 ft (92 m) high from its foundations. The dam

1886-407: The upper Mesilla Valley. The canal has a capacity of 625 cubic feet (17.7 m ) per second. Pichacho North and Pichacho South dams impound North Pichacho Arroyo and South Pichacho Arroyo, respectively, to provide flood protection for the Leasburg Canal. Both arroyos are ephemeral , and so the dams operate only during storm events. The dams were both built in the 1950s. The Mesilla Diversion Dam

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1932-456: The water for farming downstream. By 1950, the "full production" use, coupled with intense drought in the upper basin, had caused the water levels to fall well below the initial 1915 levels. The lowest recorded storage level occurred on August 6, 1954. Another longer-lived highstand occurred in July 1985 and lasted with the spillway in use until 1988. Other highstands occurred in 1994 and 1995. Most of

1978-565: Was affirmed by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) that the river's flow was decreasing by 200,000 acre-feet (250,000,000 m ) annually. The river has run dry many times since the 1950s at Big Bend National Park . At El Paso, Texas , the river is non-existent for much of the year. Tributaries of the river, both on the Mexican and American sides, have been diverted heavily for irrigation. The Rio Grande

2024-485: Was built from 1936 to 1938. Caballo was built to provide flood protection for the projects downstream, stabilize outflows from Elephant Butte, and replace storage lost in Elephant Butte Reservoir due to sedimentation. With the benefit of flow regulation, a small hydroelectric plant was completed in 1940 at the base of Elephant Butte Dam. The construction of power transmission lines was begun in 1940, and

2070-418: Was finally completed by 1952. The Elephant Butte Irrigation District is a 6,870 acres (27.8 km ) historic district providing recognition and limited protection for the history of much of the system, which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997. The listing included three contributing buildings and 214 contributing structures . Noted as historic are the diversion dams and

2116-661: Was rejected in 2011 by Spencer G. Lucas et. al, who stated that the date was far too young to be viable and that it actually dates to the Blancan. The number of species within the genus has varied between S. mirificus being the only valid species, to Osborn's seven species of “ ascending mutations ” ( S. primitivus, S. successor, S. mirificus, S. chapmani, S. texanus, S. arizonae and S. aftoniae ) Lucas et al., 2013 accepted three overlapping chronospecies : S. primitivus, S. mirificus S. aftoniae. The South American Stegomastodon fossils have been reassigned to Notiomastodon by

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