The Waterline Western water, weekly

Reservoirs

Well below normal

Elephant Butte Reservoir storage

Reservoir storage in Rio Grande basin, New Mexico

Last updated Jul 8, 2026

Elephant Butte Reservoir storage
acre-feet

Now 57,487 af, 59% below the 5-yr median.

I'll write a page note for the Elephant Butte Reservoir storage data:

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Elephant Butte Reservoir Storage — Page Note

Elephant Butte Reservoir, a critical water source in the Rio Grande basin, is currently at 57,487 acre-feet — critically low at 59% below the historical 5-year median.

Current trends signal rapid depletion:

  • Week-over-week: Down 22.7% (lost ~17k acre-feet in 7 days)
  • Month-over-month: Down 65.9% — the reservoir has shed two-thirds of its volume in just 30 days
  • Year-over-year: Down 48.7% — less than half the water that was stored a year ago

This combination of severe deficit and accelerating outflows suggests active drought stress and/or heavy water demand for agricultural irrigation (New Mexico summer season runs June–September). At current depletion rates, the reservoir will continue to decline unless inflows or demand patterns shift significantly.

Monitor for:

  • Irrigation demand peaking in mid-summer (July–August)
  • Rio Grande upstream flows from Colorado
  • Any emergency water-sharing agreements triggered by drought declarations

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This note provides context on the severity and trajectory of the storage decline without requiring water-management expertise. Let me know if you'd like me to adjust the tone or add/remove any specific elements.