News Release Archive

Water Levels to Rise as Irrigation Release Begins

Media Contact: Mary Perea Carlson , (505) 462-3576, mcarlson@usbr.gov

For Release: June 23, 2015

FORT SUMNER, NM - Water levels on the Pecos River will rise in the coming days as the Bureau of Reclamation moves water downstream for the Carlsbad Irrigation District.

The block release of water began Monday morning from Santa Rosa Lake, which is managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The release from Sumner Reservoir will begin Tuesday morning, once the water from Santa Rosa arrives. Reclamation will increase the release from about 100 cubic feet per second to about 1,500 cfs. This release is expected to last seven days. Approximately 21,000 acre-feet of water will be moved from Santa Rosa and Sumner to Brantley to be used by the Carlsbad Irrigation District.

The public is asked to use caution when working or playing in or near the Pecos anywhere between Santa Rosa Lake and Brantley Reservoir, which is located north of Carlsbad, for the next couple of weeks as the water makes its way downstream.

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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.