Red Bluff Dam
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Red Bluff Dam is a dam in the
Pecos River The Pecos River ( ; ) originates in north-central New Mexico and flows into Texas, emptying into the Rio Grande. Its headwaters are on the eastern slope of the Sangre de Cristo mountain range in Mora County north of Pecos, New Mexico, at an elev ...
, situated about north of
Pecos, Texas Pecos ( ) is the largest city in and the county seat of Reeves County, Texas, Reeves County, Texas, United States. It is in the valley on the west bank of the Pecos River at the eastern edge of the Chihuahuan Desert, in the Trans-Pecos region of ...
. Its
Red Bluff Reservoir Red Bluff Reservoir is a reservoir on the Pecos River north of Pecos, Texas. The reservoir extends into Loving and Reeves Counties in Texas, and Eddy County in New Mexico. The northern shoreline of the reservoir is the lowest point in the st ...
was formed in 1936 by the dam construction, organized by the Red Bluff Water Control District to provide water 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 ...
and
hydroelectric 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 ...
power.


Planning and construction

A water user's association was formed to promote the dam in 1916, and surveying began in 1921. In 1924 the states of Texas and New Mexico agreed to allow construction, and in 1926 President
Calvin Coolidge Calvin Coolidge (born John Calvin Coolidge Jr.; ; July 4, 1872January 5, 1933) was the 30th president of the United States, serving from 1923 to 1929. A Republican Party (United States), Republican lawyer from Massachusetts, he previously ...
approved the plan. In 1927 the Red Bluff Water Control District was formed to manage the project from seven existing water districts. In 1934 the loan for construction was approved by the Public Works Administration. The dam was completed in September 1936, and started to supply water in 1937.


Structure

The dam is an earthfill structure long, high and with a crest width of . Crest length is . Crest elevation is above sea level. Spillway width is . The spillway is concrete ogee controlled by 12 tainter gates, each . The dam includes two hydroelectric plants with a combined capacity of 2,300 kilowatts. The reservoir can safely store .The surface area of the reservoir is . Maximum discharge is per second. Water from the dam irrigates of farmland.


References

Citations Sources * * * Dams in Texas Buildings and structures in Loving County, Texas Buildings and structures in Reeves County, Texas Dams completed in 1936 Dams on the Pecos River Pecos, Texas 1936 establishments in Texas {{Texas-struct-stub