Elephant Butte Experiencing Lowest Water Levels in 50 Years
By Diego Gallegos
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ELEPHANT BUTTE, New Mexico (KOAT) — Elephant Butte State Park is experiencing historic lows.
Officials are reporting the lake is at 1.7% of normal capacity, the lowest level since 1971. The drought is due to a lack of snowfall, rising heat and the opening of the Elephant Butte Dam.
New Mexico State Park Superintendent Johnathin Horsley using it as a chance to clean up the park, saying: “The biggest thing here is the sediment, we’ve been pulling out sediment for about two weeks now. We’re trying to move the best we can, so the big goal right now has been to keep the loading ramp clean, keep it clear so folks can launch vessels and enjoy the water.”
For locals like Mariana Del Sur’s Manager Josh Koch, the drought has brought mixed results. Koch said the low levels have made it more difficult to gather resources: “We have movable fuel barges. So when they empty, we have to bring them over to the courtesy docks by the boat ramp and then fill them up. Because the sand is really soft, the gas tank will get stuck. So we have to haul our barges over to the dam site and fill it up.”
Still, he remains unphased and is focused on welcoming the next batch of visitors: “So, we just pushed out a promotional code back to school coupon. So if you rent a boat from us, it gives you 20 or 25% off your boat rental. And we’re just trying to get people out here, man. We’re always posting on social media like, hey, you know, come out to the lake.”
Irrigation season is expected to end on July 28th. Following the date, the Elephant Butte Dam will close and locals are hoping the lake will begin to refill. The record low was set in June of 1954 at 0.01%.
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