Push builds to refill Elephant Butte Reservoir after drop to 1971 low

New Mexico business leader James Prendamano is urging a coordinated effort to conserve more water upstream and restore flow into Elephant Butte Reservoir, which has fallen to its lowest level since 1971. His 25-page brief argues a protected minimum pool and other fixes could help stabilize the state’s largest reservoir and reduce economic damage across southern New Mexico.

Why it matters: - Elephant Butte Reservoir supports irrigation for nearly 160,000 acres of farmland downstream, including New Mexico pecan and chile production. - The reservoir also helps generate hydroelectric power and sustains recreation, local jobs and tax revenue in Sierra County. - The water decline is already affecting access and tourism, with ramps closed and visitation down at Elephant Butte Lake State Park.

What happened: - James Prendamano, a New Mexico business leader and philanthropist, is calling for a coordinated effort to speed refilling of Elephant Butte Reservoir and create a sustainable year-round water level. - Prendamano compiled his findings into a 25-page working brief, A Deep Dive into a Shallow Pool. - The reservoir held about 27,000 acre-feet in August, roughly 1.4% of its nearly 2-million-acre-foot capacity and the lowest level in more than 50 years. - The Sierra County Commission approved a resolution on Aug. 7 declaring a local disaster and requesting state and federal help.

The details: - Prendamano’s research reviewed federal and state records, reservoir data, Rio Grande Compact requirements and water-delivery infrastructure. - The brief identifies opportunities to conserve water upstream, improve delivery to Elephant Butte Reservoir, reduce water losses and establish a protected minimum pool. - The research points to drought, upstream water losses, invasive vegetation, evaporation, groundwater depletion, interstate delivery requirements and operating decisions as factors affecting reservoir levels. - In 2023, New Mexico had its 18th-driest year on record, yet Elephant Butte’s water volume rose from about 225,000 acre-feet to 466,000 acre-feet. - In 2024, precipitation reached about 93% of normal, but the reservoir ended the year with around 186,000 acre-feet. - One proposal focuses on roughly 70 miles of the Rio Grande between San Acacia and Elephant Butte Reservoir. - The plan calls for restoring the Low Flow Conveyance Channel and removing invasive vegetation, sediment and obstructions. - The research estimates those efforts could conserve about 37,500 to 45,000 acre-feet a year. - Prendamano proposes that at least 37,500 acre-feet of newly conserved water reach Elephant Butte Reservoir each year. - The brief also proposes a protected minimum pool of about 200,000 acre-feet. - Congress authorized a 50,000-acre-foot recreation pool at Elephant Butte in 1974, which the research cites as a possible starting point for a larger minimum pool. - Another proposal seeks 100,000 acre-feet of water from the federal government tied to water the research says was held upstream of Elephant Butte for about two decades. - Under that proposal, 50,000 acre-feet would go to the minimum pool and 50,000 acre-feet would reduce New Mexico’s Rio Grande Compact debt. - The report is available at the full brief.

Between the lines: - Prendamano is framing the reservoir crisis as more than a drought story. - The 2023 and 2024 water totals suggest weather alone does not explain how much water reaches Elephant Butte or how much stays there. - The briefing tries to turn a broad water problem into a narrower set of actionable infrastructure and management questions. - The proposal for a minimum pool would mark a shift from simply storing leftover water to protecting a base level year-round.

What's next: - Prendamano wants technical experts and officials with authority over the river and the Rio Grande Compact to review the proposals. - The research is aimed at state and federal officials, water managers, local leaders and communities tied to the Rio Grande. - Future decisions will likely focus on which ideas can be implemented, funded and approved without worsening existing compact obligations. - Additional state and federal response could follow the local disaster declaration and the reservoir’s continued decline.

The bottom line: - Elephant Butte’s collapse is now a water-supply, economic and political problem, and Prendamano is pushing a practical fix list instead of waiting for rain.