Navajo Lake is 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 ...
located in
San Juan County and
Rio Arriba County
Rio Arriba County is a county in the U.S. state of New Mexico. As of the 2010 census, the population was 40,246. Its county seat is Tierra Amarilla. Its northern border is the Colorado state line.
Rio Arriba County comprises the Española, N ...
in northwestern
New Mexico
)
, population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano)
, seat = Santa Fe
, LargestCity = Albuquerque
, LargestMetro = Tiguex
, OfficialLang = None
, Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...
, in the southwestern
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
. Portions of the reservoir extend into
Archuleta County
Archuleta County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 census, the population was 13,359. The county seat and the only incorporated municipality in the county is Pagosa Springs.
History
Archuleta County was created ...
in southern
Colorado
Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...
. The lake is part of the
Colorado River Storage Project
The Colorado River Storage Project is a United States Bureau of Reclamation project designed to oversee the development of the upper Colorado River basin. The project provides hydroelectric power, flood control and water storage for participat ...
, which here manages the upper reaches of the
San Juan River, storing and releasing water that is used locally for irrigation, or ultimately reaching the
Colorado River
The Colorado River ( es, Río Colorado) is one of the principal rivers (along with the Rio Grande) in the Southwestern United States and northern Mexico. The river drains an expansive, arid drainage basin, watershed that encompasses parts of ...
in
Utah
Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...
. Water is impounded in Navajo Lake by the
earth- and rock-filled
Navajo Dam
Navajo Dam is a dam on the San Juan River (Colorado River), San Juan River, a tributary of the Colorado River, in northwestern New Mexico in the United States. The high earthen dam is situated in the foothills of the San Juan Mountains about ups ...
, long and high, completed in 1962. The lake is over long and lies at an elevation of up to .
The construction of the dam and the resulting lake flooded and destroyed one of the
Navajos' most sacred sites.
[Linford, Laurance. ''Navajo Places. History, Legend, Landscape.'' University of Utah Press. Salt Lake City: 2000.]
The Lake and associated shoreline areas near the dam in New Mexico and the river shorelines below the dam are part of New Mexico's
Navajo Lake State Park
Navajo Lake is a reservoir located in San Juan County and Rio Arriba County in northwestern New Mexico, in the southwestern United States. Portions of the reservoir extend into Archuleta County in southern Colorado. The lake is part of the ...
, while the Portion of the shoreline and portion of the lake that is located in Colorado make up
Navajo State Park
Navajo State Park is a state park of Colorado, USA, on the north shore of Navajo Lake. Touted as Colorado's answer to Lake Powell, this reservoir on the San Juan River begins in Colorado's San Juan Mountains and extends into New Mexico. Its a ...
which is managed as part of the Colorado State Parks system. The lake has
smallmouth bass,
black crappie
The black crappie (''Pomoxis nigromaculatus'') is a freshwater fish found in North America, one of the two types of crappies. It is very similar to the white crappie in size, shape, and habits, except that it is darker, with a pattern of black sp ...
,
northern pike
The northern pike (''Esox lucius'') is a species of carnivorous fish of the genus '' Esox'' (the pikes). They are typical of brackish and fresh waters of the Northern Hemisphere (''i.e.'' holarctic in distribution). They are known simply as a ...
,
channel catfish
The channel catfish (''Ictalurus punctatus'') is North America's most numerous catfish species. It is the official fish of Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, and Tennessee, and is informally referred to as a "channel cat". In the United States, the ...
, and
trout
Trout are species of freshwater fish belonging to the genera '' Oncorhynchus'', ''Salmo'' and ''Salvelinus'', all of the subfamily Salmoninae of the family Salmonidae. The word ''trout'' is also used as part of the name of some non-salmoni ...
. The waters of Navajo Lake forced hundreds of families to leave their homes and communities.
The four communities affected were Los Arboles, Los Pinos, Rose and Los Martinez.
The 1.7 million acre-foot reservoir displaced an unknown amount of farms and ranches.
It has been estimated that almost 200 mainly Hispanic families had to move.
Some families had been here nearly 80–90 years.
See also
*
List of largest reservoirs of Colorado
This is a list of the largest reservoirs in the state of Colorado. All thirty-eight reservoirs that contain greater than are included in the list. Most of the larger reservoirs in the state are owned by the United States Bureau of Reclamation and, ...
References
External links
Navajo Lake State Park
{{authority control
Buildings and structures in Archuleta County, Colorado
Buildings and structures in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico
Buildings and structures in San Juan County, New Mexico
Bodies of water of Archuleta County, Colorado
Bodies of water of San Juan County, New Mexico
Colorado River Storage Project
Lakes of Rio Arriba County, New Mexico
Parks in Archuleta County, Colorado
Parks in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico
Parks in San Juan County, New Mexico
Reservoirs in Colorado
Reservoirs in New Mexico
State parks of New Mexico
1962 establishments in New Mexico