ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-Albuquerque District announced today that it has scheduled a block release of water from Santa Rosa Lake, N.M., to start Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2025, at 8:00 am.
The Bureau of Reclamation, acting on the behalf of Carlsbad Irrigation District, requested the approximately 14,800 acre-feet release. Carlsbad Irrigation District owns the irrigation water that makes up all of the water stored in Santa Rosa Lake.
The block release from Santa Rosa Lake is scheduled to last until Sept. 8, 2025, to transfer water to Sumner Lake, N.M.
“The final date and time for the end of the release will depend on when the full release of 14,800 acre-feet is complete, or if Bureau of Reclamation requests an earlier stop to retain more storage in Santa Rosa Lake,” said Morgan Humphrey, Pecos River Basin Manager in the USACE-Albuquerque District’s Water Management Section.
Based on current conditions, Santa Rosa Lake elevation at the beginning of the release is estimated to be at 4,740 feet, or approximately 68,900 acre-feet of storage. At the end of the release, the lake elevation is estimated to be at 4,735 feet, or approximately 55,300 acre-feet of storage. This equates to about a 5-foot drop in lake elevation following the block release. The final drop in elevation depends on the actual inflows into the lake and the final release volume.
Santa Rosa Dam is the first major dam along the Pecos River, and its reservoir has a 2,434 square mile contributing drainage area. The other two dams along the Pecos River, Sumner Dam, and Brantley Dam, are owned by the Bureau of Reclamation. The Santa Rosa Reservoir is a main component in the Pecos River Basin comprehensive plan, providing irrigation storage, flood control, and sediment retention.
Although the reservoir is a USACE-managed lake, the campgrounds and most recreation areas at Santa Rosa Lake are managed by New Mexico State Parks.
-30-