Surface Water Management: Working Within the Legal Framework

Authors

Kevin G. Flanigan

Publication Date

2007

Document Type

Article

Abstract

There are six major reservoirs in New Mexico upstream of the Middle Rio Grande. This article provides some background on how those reservoirs are operated within the current legal framework and how those operations meet various purposes and needs within the Middle Rio Grande.

Between the Colorado-New Mexico state line on the north and Elephant Butte Reservoir on the south, four major tributaries join the Rio Grande, including the Rio Chama, the Jemez River, the Rio Salado, and the Rio Puerco. The Rio Chama is the primary tributary, heading in the San Juan Mountains of southwest Colorado and joining the Rio Grande just north of Espanola. Other significant tributaries include the Red River, Rio Pueblo de Taos, Embudo Creek, and Galisteo Creek flowing out of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains; the Jemez River flowing out of the Jemez Mountains; and the Rio Salado and Rio Puerco, which join the Rio Grande just above San Acacia. With the exception of the Rio Chama and the larger streams originating in the Sangre de Cristos, these tributaries are ephemeral, flowing only during snowmelt runoff or in response to heavy precipitation events.

The six major reservoirs described here are Heron, El Vado, and Abiquiu on the Rio Chama; Cochiti on the Rio Grande; Galisteo on Galisteo Creek; and Jemez Canyon on the Jemez River. Reservoir storage is usually discussed in units of acre-feet, which is the amount of water that it takes to cover one acre to a depth of one foot, or approximately 326,000 gallons.

Publisher

Natural Resources Journal

Recommended Citation

Flanigan, Kevin G.. "Surface Water Management: Working Within the Legal Framework." (2007). https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/uc_rio_chama/39