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Caballo Dam is an earthen dam on the
Rio Grande The Rio Grande ( or ) in the United States or the Río Bravo (del Norte) in Mexico (), also known as Tó Ba'áadi in Navajo language, Navajo, is one of the principal rivers (along with the Colorado River) in the Southwestern United States a ...
about downstream from
Truth or Consequences, New Mexico Truth or Consequences (founded as Hot Springs) is a city in the U.S. state of New Mexico, and the county seat of Sierra County. In 2020, the population was 6,052. It has frequently been noted on lists of unusual place names for having chosen t ...
,
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
. In conjunction with Elephant Butte Dam, which lies about upstream, it regulates the discharge of the river in the lower
Rio Grande Valley Lower Rio Grande Valley (), often referred to as the Rio Grande Valley (RGV) of South Texas, is a region located in the southernmost part of Texas, along the northern bank of the Rio Grande. It is also known locally as the Valley or the 956 (the ...
of
New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...
. Caballo serves as an afterbay for the Elephant Butte Reservoir, i.e. it stores water released from Elephant Butte for
hydroelectricity Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is Electricity generation, electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies 15% of the world's electricity, almost 4,210 TWh in 2023, which is more than all other Renewable energ ...
generation purposes and discharges it in the dry season to provide for
irrigation Irrigation (also referred to as watering of plants) is the practice of applying controlled amounts of water to land to help grow crops, landscape plants, and lawns. Irrigation has been a key aspect of agriculture for over 5,000 years and has bee ...
agriculture Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...
downstream. The dam is an important part of the
Rio Grande Project The Rio Grande Project is a United States Bureau of Reclamation irrigation, hydroelectricity, flood control, and interbasin water transfer project serving the upper Rio Grande basin in the southwestern United States. The project irrigates along ...
. A secondary purpose of the dam was to compensate for lost capacity in Elephant Butte Lake due to
sedimentation Sedimentation is the deposition of sediments. It takes place when particles in suspension settle out of the fluid in which they are entrained and come to rest against a barrier. This is due to their motion through the fluid in response to th ...
. Caballo Dam is high and stands above the Rio Grande. It is long and contains of material. The elevation of the crest is and the average elevation of its reservoir, Caballo Lake, is . The dam has two water outlets; the
outlet works A gatehouse, gate house, outlet works or valve house for a dam is a structure housing sluice gates, valves, or pumps (in which case it is more accurately called a pumping station). Many gatehouses are strictly utilitarian, but especially in the ni ...
have a capacity of , and the main spillway has a capacity of . Caballo Lake is roughly long and stores up to of water.


See also

* Caballo Lake State Park *
List of rivers of New Mexico This is a list of rivers in the U.S. state of New Mexico arranged by drainage basin, with respective tributaries indented under each larger stream's name. In mean flow of water per second, the San Juan River Arkansas is New Mexico's largest rive ...


References


External links


Rio Grande Project History
{{Crossings navbox, collapsed=true , structure = Crossings , place =
Rio Grande The Rio Grande ( or ) in the United States or the Río Bravo (del Norte) in Mexico (), also known as Tó Ba'áadi in Navajo language, Navajo, is one of the principal rivers (along with the Colorado River) in the Southwestern United States a ...
, bridge = Caballo Dam Road , bridge signs = , upstream = Third Avenue Bridge , upstream signs = , downstream = I-25 Bridge , downstream signs = Dams in New Mexico Buildings and structures in Sierra County, New Mexico United States Bureau of Reclamation dams Dams completed in 1938 Dams on the Rio Grande 1938 establishments in New Mexico