Elephant Butte Reservoir water level — New Mexico
Elephant Butte Reservoir in New Mexico was last measured at 27,392 acre-ft of storage (no elevation gauge reported), as of Aug 22, 2026, 1:15 PM (UTC+00:00) (USACE CWMS Data).
- Pool elevation
- Not reported
- % of conservation pool full
- Not reported
- Storage
- 27,392 acre-ft
- Recent trend
- Not enough data
This station reports storage but no elevation gauge — its managing agency does not publish a pool-elevation reading here.
Recent trend
Not enough recent readings to show a trend.
Data: USGS Water Services (waterservices.usgs.gov) and USACE CWMS Data (cwms-data.usace.army.mil), retrieved 2026-08-31. Both public domain (a work of the U.S. Government, 17 U.S.C. §105).
Source: USACE SPA/E Butte, retrieved Aug 31, 2026, 8:24 AM (UTC+00:00). Official page for this lake →
The dam behind Elephant Butte Reservoir
Elephant Butte Reservoir is held back by Elephant Butte Dam (also recorded as Elephant Butte Reservoir) , a concrete structure , standing 306 ft high and running 1,379 ft along its crest , built across RIO GRANDE RIVER in Sierra County , near TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES . It was completed in 1916 and modified in 1985S , and is owned by BUREAU OF RECLAMATION (a federal owner) , to a design credited to BUREAU OF RECLAMATION.
Its recorded primary purpose is flood risk reduction — the pool is drawn down between storms so there is empty space waiting for the next flood, which is why this level can fall in dry weather and climb sharply after rain . It also serves flood risk reduction;irrigation;recreation;hydroelectric.
Its spillway is ungated: once the pool reaches the crest, water leaves on its own and the operator cannot hold it back. The spillway opening is 335 ft wide.
NID classes it high hazard potential. That describes what a failure would cost downstream — loss of life would be expected — and says nothing about how likely a failure is, or what condition the dam is in.
At its normal pool the reservoir covers about 42,750 acres. NID records a maximum storage of 2,593,255 acre-ft against a normal storage of 2,065,010 acre-ft. Its maximum discharge capacity is 38,000 cubic feet per second.
Dam facts: National Inventory of Dams record NM00129 , filed by Bureau of Reclamation — U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, public domain. Water levels above come from USACE CWMS Data and are a separate source. (How this dam was matched to this gauge →)
Nearby lakes
The six nearest published lakes by centroid distance (great-circle) — cross-state neighbors included.
| Lake | State | Level | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Caballo Reservoir | NM | — | 30 km |
| Zuni Salt Lake | NM | 6,221.49 ft | 205 km |
| Two River Reservoir | NM | 3,977.02 ft | 230 km |
| Diamond a Reservoir | NM | 3,957.00 ft | 230 km |
| Two Rivers Dam | NM | 3,957.00 ft | 230 km |
| Lyman Lake | AZ | — | 244 km |
Frequently asked questions
- What is the current water level of Elephant Butte Reservoir?
- This lake reports storage (27,392 acre-ft as of Aug 22, 2026, 1:15 PM (UTC+00:00)) but no elevation gauge — its managing agency does not publish a pool-elevation reading here.
- Is Elephant Butte Reservoir full right now?
- Its managing agency does not publish a %-of-conservation-pool-full figure for this lake, so we show the bare level rather than estimate one.
- Where does this data come from?
- From USACE SPA/E Butte, retrieved Aug 31, 2026, 8:24 AM (UTC+00:00).
More in New Mexico
See every lake tracked in New Mexico, or read the methodology behind these figures.