Heron Dam is a storage dam

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 northern

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, Ke ...

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 territori ...

, just north of the

El Vado Dam El Vado Dam impounds the Rio Chama in the U.S. state of New Mexico, about north-northwest of New Mexico's largest city, Albuquerque and about northwest of the capital city of Santa Fe. The earth-filled structure forms El Vado Lake, a storage r ...

. It is owned and operated by the

United States Bureau of Reclamation The Bureau of Reclamation, and formerly the United States Reclamation Service, is a federal agency under the U.S. Department of the Interior, which oversees water resource management, specifically as it applies to the oversight and opera ...

. The dam is about 9 miles west of the town of Tierra Amarilla.

Construction

The dam was built as part of the San Juan-Chama Project, which transfers water from the San Juan River basin through the Azotea Tunnel under the Continental Divide into Willow Creek, where it is stored in Heron Reservoir as part of the Colorado River Storage Project. The dam is located on Willow Creek near the creek's confluence with the

Rio Chama The Rio Chama, a major tributary river of the Rio Grande, is located in the U.S. states of Colorado and New Mexico. The river is about long altogether. From its source to El Vado Dam its length is about , from El Vado Dam to Abiquiu Dam is abou ...

. Construction was completed in 1971. The outlet works at

, just downstream from Heron Dam, were enlarged as part of the San Juan-Chama Project so releases from Heron Reservoir could pass unimpeded through the dam. The capacity of the El Vado outlet works was increased to pass per second.

Structure

The reservoir lies at an elevation of above sea level. The earthfill dam is long and high. Heron Dike, one mile northwest of the dam, helps contain the reservoir. It has a concrete crest spillway with an open chute with a discharge capacity of per second. The dam's outlet works include an intake structure, diameter concrete-lined upstream tunnel, gate chamber, modified horseshoe concrete-lined downstream tunnel, and a stilling basin. The discharge capacity is per second at a reservoir elevation of . When filled, the reservoir covers . The maximum safe storage capacity is . Downstream channel capacity is about per second.

Operations

The dam was built strictly for storage and delivery of San Juan-Chama Project water for municipal, domestic, industrial, recreation, irrigation, and fish and wildlife purposes. The water is diverted to New Mexico as agreed under the Colorado River and Upper Colorado River Compacts. The amount of water diverted each year, and the way in which it is used, are subject to well-defined agreements. Flows of "native" or "natural" water from Willow Creek and from the Rio Chama upstream of the dam are measured and bypassed through the reservoir. The dam provides up to of San Juan-Chama water annually to maintain the recreation pool at

Cochiti Reservoir The Cochiti Dam is an earthen fill dam located on the Rio Grande in Sandoval County, New Mexico, approximately north of Albuquerque, New Mexico, in the United States. By volume of material, it is the 23rd largest dam in the world at 62,849,000 y ...

. The dam can supply about of San Juan-Chama water annually to users with reasonable certainty. There is no carry-over provision: contractors must take delivery of their water by December 31. This means that contractors such as the City of

Albuquerque Albuquerque ( ; ), ; kee, Arawageeki; tow, Vakêêke; zun, Alo:ke:k'ya; apj, Gołgéeki'yé. abbreviated ABQ, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding in ...

or the

Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District The Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District (MRGCD) was formed in 1925 to manage the irrigation systems and control floods in the Albuquerque Basin. It is responsible for the stretch of river from the Cochiti Dam in Sandoval County in the north, thr ...

often withdraw their water and arrange to store it in downstream reservoirs such as El Vado, Abiquiu, Jemez Canyon (by exchange), and Elephant Butte.

References

Citations Sources * * * * {{Rio Grande dams and diversions Dams in New Mexico Dams in the Rio Grande basin Buildings and structures in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico Dams completed in 1971 United States Bureau of Reclamation dams United States local public utility dams 1971 establishments in New Mexico