The Eagle Nest Dam is a dam just east of the town of

Eagle Nest, New Mexico Eagle Nest is a village in Colfax County, New Mexico. The population was 290 at the time of the 2010 census. Located along the Enchanted Circle Scenic Byway, Eagle Nest is a small summer-home and resort destination. Originally named Therma, the ...

U.S. Route 64 U.S. Route 64 (US 64) is an east–west United States highway that runs for 2,326 miles (3,743 km) from Nags Head in eastern North Carolina to just southwest of the Four Corners in northeast Arizona. The western terminus is at U.S. Route 1 ...

. The dam, on private property, is on the Cimarron River, and is responsible for

Eagle Nest Lake The Eagle Nest Dam is a dam just east of the town of Eagle Nest, New Mexico on U.S. Route 64. The dam, on private property, is on the Cimarron River, and is responsible for Eagle Nest Lake. History In 1907, two wealthy ranchers, Frank Springer ...

History

In 1907, two wealthy ranchers, Frank Springer and Charles Springer, and the Cimarron Valley Land Company were granted a water permit to impound the water of the Cimarron River for irrigation by building a dam. Construction of the dam began in 1916, and continued until 1918. The dam is high and has an arc length of . At the top, the dam is wide, and it is wide at the base. It is considered the largest privately built dam in the United States. The resulting lake, known as Eagle Nest Lake has an area of and measures long, and wide. The surface elevation of the water when the lake is at capacity is above sea level. The reservoir has a capacity of of water. The dam was constructed by laborers from the

Taos Pueblo Taos Pueblo (or Pueblo de Taos) is an ancient pueblo belonging to a Taos-speaking (Tiwa) Native American tribe of Puebloan people. It lies about north of the modern city of Taos, New Mexico. The pueblos are considered to be one of the oldest c ...

. It is named Eagle Nest Dam for the eagles that made themselves a home on the sides of the dam. The dam sits between two granite walls, and as part of the plans, the Springers had to reroute

to its current location, over McAvoy Hill.

Water rights

To help finance the dam, Springer sold some

water right Water right in water law refers to the right of a user to use water from a water source, e.g., a river, stream, pond or source of groundwater. In areas with plentiful water and few users, such systems are generally not complicated or contentious ...

s from Eagle Nest Lake to local farmers and ranchers. These original rights are known as ''vested rights''. In 1951, the State of New Mexico adjudicated the watershed of the Cimarron River. This

adjudication Adjudication is the legal process by which an arbiter or judge reviews evidence and argumentation, including legal reasoning set forth by opposing parties or litigants, to come to a decision which determines rights and obligations between the ...

confirmed Springer's original permit which gave him the right to store surplus and flood water in the Eagle Nest Lake. There were many other court cases, and one of them ended up in the New Mexico State Supreme Court in 1990. Today, Eagle Nest Lake still serves its intended purpose as a

reservoir A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...

, which provides

irrigation Irrigation (also referred to as watering) is the practice of applying controlled amounts of water to land to help grow Crop, crops, Landscape plant, landscape plants, and Lawn, lawns. Irrigation has been a key aspect of agriculture for over 5,00 ...

water via the Cimarron River and a complex canal system, to many farmers and ranchers, some as far as 50 miles downstream. Some of the water rights from Eagle Nest Lake have been purchased by local municipalities including Raton and

Springer Springer or springers may refer to: Publishers * Springer Science+Business Media, aka Springer International Publishing, a worldwide publishing group founded in 1842 in Germany formerly known as Springer-Verlag. ** Springer Nature, a multinationa ...

. The villages of Angel Fire, Eagle Nest, and Cimarron can also get their water from the lake.

State ownership

In 2002, the State of New Mexico bought the lake, and it is now operated by the New Mexico Interstate Stream Commission (ISC), but owners maintained their water rights. After New Mexico bought the lake, various water users approached Governor

Bill Richardson William Blaine Richardson III (born November 15, 1947) is an American politician, author, and diplomat who served as the 30th governor of New Mexico from 2003 to 2011. He was also the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations and Energy Secretary ...

in hopes of mediation to end the litigation over water rights. Governor Richardson and the local governing bodies signed the Eagle Nest Water Rights Settlement on June 2, 2006. This settlement specifies that all users share in water shortages. The sharing arrangement is prorated based on the amount of water in the lake on June 1 of each year. All users will be treated equally, including the so-called ''Tier-Two'' users who make bulk water purchases. The agreement can be viewed on the web. The state established the

Eagle Nest Lake State Park Eagle Nest Lake State Park is a state park in New Mexico, United States. The park is located outside Eagle Nest, approximately east of Taos. It was established on July 3, 2004. Its main attraction is a lake which is popular for fishing an ...

for use of the lake for recreational purposes.

References

{{Registered Historic Places Dams in New Mexico Buildings and structures in Colfax County, New Mexico Dams completed in 1920 Dams on the National Register of Historic Places in New Mexico National Register of Historic Places in Colfax County, New Mexico 1920 establishments in New Mexico

History

Water rights

State ownership

See also

References