News Release Archive

Reclamation's Rio Grande Project Marks Century of Service to Water Users in New Mexico and Texas

Media Contact: Filiberto Cortez, 915-534-6301, fcortez@uc.usbr.gov

For Release: February 23, 2005

On Friday, February 25, 2005, Reclamation's Rio Grande Project will mark 100 years of service to local water users in the Rio Grande Valleys of southern New Mexico and west Texas. The El Paso and Elephant Butte Field Divisions manage the long-term storage of Rio Grande Project water in Elephant Butte and Caballo reservoirs and have responsibility for delivering irrigation supplies to water users in south-central New Mexico and west Texas, and to Mexico for use in the Juarez Valley.

"Collaborative partnerships with local water users are something we pride ourselves on," said Reclamation Commissioner John W. Keys III. "By working cooperatively at the local level with water users and districts, we build strong relationships that enable us to address today's complex water issues."

Today, Reclamation's Rio Grande Project furnishes irrigation water to approximately 178,000 acres of river bottom land in the Rio Grande Valley. Water also is provided for diversion to Mexico by the International Boundary and Water Commission to irrigate approximately 25,000 acres of farmland in the Juarez Valley. Crops such as chile peppers, lettuce, alfalfa, onions, cotton and pecans are grown with project water and have an economic impact in the United States of more than $1 billion annually.

The Rio Grande Project was originally authorized to settle conflicting interests over the limited supply of water within the Rio Grande Basin of southern Colorado, New Mexico, and far west Texas. Around 1890, extensive use of the river's water in both southern Colorado and central New Mexico depleted the summer flow of the Rio Grande, often causing the river to go dry near El Paso, Texas.

Under development spurred on by the Reclamation Act of 1902 and following a 1904 Interior Department study, it was concluded that all competing needs for the river's water could be met by constructing a dam at Elephant Butte near present day Truth or Consequences, New Mexico. On February 25, 1905, Congress authorized the construction of Engle Dam (now known as Elephant Butte Dam). Additional project works authorized by Congress in 1907 included Caballo Dam, a combined flood-control and power regulating structure, and the Elephant Butte power plant facility. The rich soil and easily accessible water found in the Rio Grande Valley has attracted human inhabitants for more than 1,500 years. When the Spanish explorers first arrived in the valley in the 16th century, the Pueblo Indians were already irrigating crops through an intricate system of earthen irrigation ditches. The Rio Grande is the fifth largest river basin in North America. It begins in Colorado's San Juan Mountains, divides New Mexico, and serves as an 800-mile boundary between the United States and Mexico. The 1,800-mile river empties into the Gulf of Mexico.

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The Bureau of Reclamation is a federal agency under the U.S. Department of the Interior and is the nation's largest wholesale water supplier and second largest producer of hydroelectric power. Our facilities also provide substantial flood control, recreation opportunities, and environmental benefits. Visit our website at https://www.usbr.gov and follow us on Twitter @USBR; Facebook @bureau.of.reclamation; LinkedIn @Bureau of Reclamation; Instagram @bureau_of_reclamation; and YouTube @reclamation.