Rio Grande dams and diversions are structures that store water along the Rio Grande or its tributaries, or that divert water for use in irrigation. The first diversions were made by the Pueblo Indians over 1,000 years ago.More permanent diversions were built by the Spanish in New Mexico to feed acequias, or shared irrigation canals.The first dam to impound the Rio Grande was the Rio Grande Dam, completed in 1914, followed by the Elephant Butte Dam, completed in 1916.
Several major projects have undertaken construction of dams and diversion in the Rio Grande basin.
The Rio Grande Project built the Elephant Butte Dam and the Caballo Dam. A number of diversion dams were also constructed in this project, including the Leasburg, Percha, Mesilla, American and Riverside diversion dams.The Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District built El Vado Dam and the Angostura, Isleta and San Acacia diversion dams. Rehabilitation of these dams, and construction of the Cochiti Dam were undertaken by the Middle Rio Grande Project. The San Juan–Chama Project brings water to the Rio Grande basin from the Colorado River Basin, building the Heron Dam to store some of the water, with an expansion of the El Vado Dam storing some of the remainder.The Closed Basin Project extracts groundwater from the San Luis Valley and delivers it into the Rio Grande.
The Pecos River is the largest tributary of the Rio Grande, and several dams have been built along it. These include the Sumner Dam, Santa Rosa Dam, Brantley Dam, Avalon Dam and Red Bluff Dam.
Structures include:
| Name | Complete | Owner | Capacity | Location | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| early 1990s | 25,000 acre-feet annually | Field of salvage wells in the San Luis Valley, Colorado | |||
| Rio Grande Dam and Reservoir | 1914 | San Luis Valley Irrigation District | 52,000 acre-feet | Near Creede, Colorado | |
| Platoro Dam and Reservoir | 1951 | 59,570 acre-feet | Conejos River, Colorado | ||
| Heron Dam and Reservoir | 1971 | 399,980 acre-feet | Willow Creek at confluence with the Rio Chama | ||
| El Vado Dam and Reservoir | 1935 | 195,440 acre-feet | Rio Chama, New Mexico | ||
| Abiquiu Dam and Reservoir | 1963 | 1,192,800 acre-feet | Rio Chama, New Mexico | ||
| Cochiti Dam and Cochiti Lake | 1973 | 582,019 acre-feet | Sandoval County, New Mexico | ||
| Galisteo Dam and Reservoir | 1970 | 88,900 acre-feet | Galisteo Creek, New Mexico near confluence with the Middle Rio Grande | ||
| Jemez Canyon Dam and Reservoir | 1953 | 102,700 acre-feet | Confluence of Jemez River and the Middle Rio Grande, New Mexico | ||
| 1934 | MRGCD | 650 cfs diversion | Middle Rio Grande, 5 miles upstream of Bernalillo, New Mexico | ||
| 1934 | 1,070 cfs diversion | Middle Rio Grande, 13 mi south of Albuquerque, New Mexico | |||
| 1934 | 283 cfs diversion | Middle Rio Grande at San Acacia, New Mexico | |||
| Elephant Butte Dam and Reservoir | 1916 | 2,065,010 acre feet | Middle Rio Grande, 3.75 miles east of Truth or Consequences | ||
| Caballo Dam and Reservoir | 1938 | 331,510 acre-feet | Rio Grande, 17 miles downstream from Elephant Butte Dam | ||
| 1918 | 350 cu ft/s diversion | 1 mile (1.6 km) west of the Caballo Dam | |||
| 1907 | Bureau of Reclamation | Rio Grande, 5 miles northwest of Las Cruces, New Mexico | |||
| 1916 | 950 cu ft/s diversion | 40 miles (64 km) upstream of El Paso | |||
| 1938 | 1,200 cu ft/s diversion | 3.5 miles upstream from El Paso, Texas | |||
| 1918 | 60,000 acre feet / year | 2 miles downstream from American Dam | |||
| 1928 | 900 cu ft/sec diversion | 14 miles downstream from American Dam | |||
| Amistad Dam | 1968 | 5,100,000 acre-feet | Confluence of the Rio Grande and the Pecos River, Texas | ||
| 1954 | 3,200,000 acre-feet | Between Starr County, Texas and Nueva Ciudad Guerrero, Tamaulipas |
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