Abiquiu Dam facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Abiquiu Dam |
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| Country | United States |
| Location | Rio Arriba County, New Mexico |
| Coordinates | 36°14′17″N 106°25′34″W / 36.23806°N 106.42611°W |
| Construction began | 1956 |
| Opening date | 1963 |
| Dam and spillways | |
| Type of dam | Embankment |
| Impounds | Rio Chama |
| Height | 354 ft (108 m) |
| Length | 1,800 ft (550 m) |
| Reservoir | |
| Creates | Abiquiu Lake |
| Total capacity | 1,369,000 acre⋅ft (1,689,000 dam3) |
| Catchment area | 2,146 sq mi (5,560 km2) |
| Power station | |
| Operator(s) | County of Los Alamos |
| Commission date | 1987–1990, 2009–2011 |
| Turbines | 2x 6.75 MW 1x 3.0 MW |
| Installed capacity | 16.5 MW |
The Abiquiu Dam is a large dam on the Rio Chama river. It is located about 60 miles (97 km) northwest of Santa Fe in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) built and operates this dam.
The dam is made of earth and is 354 feet (108 m) high and 1,800 feet (550 m) long. It holds back a huge amount of earth, about 11.8 million cubic yards (9,022,000 m3). The dam creates Abiquiu Lake, which is one of the biggest lakes in New Mexico. This lake can hold a lot of water, about 1,369,000 acre-feet (1,689,000 dam3).
Even though it's huge, the lake has never been completely full. Its highest water level was recorded on June 22, 1987. At that time, it was about 29.4% full. The main job of Abiquiu Dam is to control floods. It also stores water for farms and towns, and it helps make electricity.
Building the Abiquiu Dam
The idea for a dam to control floods on the Rio Chama river first came up in 1948. The first plans were for a smaller dam at a place called Chamita. This spot was about 20 miles (32 km) downstream from where Abiquiu Dam is now.
In the 1950s, people decided to add a dam at Abiquiu to the project. Later, they realized that building one large dam at Abiquiu would be enough. So, the plan for the Chamita dam was removed. Construction of the Abiquiu Dam began in 1956. The river was moved around in July 1959 so they could build the dam.
The dam started helping with flood control in 1962. It was fully finished on February 5, 1963. The total cost to build it was about $21.2 million.
Dam Improvements
When it was first built, Abiquiu Dam worked mostly as a "dry dam." This means it only kept a very small amount of water permanently. This small pool was mainly to trap dirt and mud.
In 1974, the city of Albuquerque asked the USACE to store more water in the lake. They wanted to store up to 200,000 acre-feet (247,000 dam3) as part of the San Juan-Chama Project. The USACE agreed to this in 1976. They also increased the smallest amount of water the lake would hold to 44,400 acre-feet (54,800 dam3). This extra water was also good for fun activities like boating.
In 1986, the dam was made 13 feet (4.0 m) taller. The emergency spillway, which lets out extra water during floods, was also made wider. It went from 40 feet (12 m) to 80 feet (24 m) wide.
Making Electricity
In 1990, a small power station was built at the bottom of the dam. This station could make 13.5 megawatts (MW) of electricity. Between 2009 and 2011, another turbine was added. This made the plant's total power capacity 16.5 MW. The power plant is run by the Los Alamos County Department of Public Utilities.
