Conchas Lake New Mexico State Park Series

Editor'snote: The following -NtrlAUURinformation was com- piled initially in 7977Uy staff in co- operationwith the New MexicoState Park and RecreationCommission. Updated material was providedby JohnV. Young fiom hisbookThe state parksof NewMexico: University of New Mexico Press,1984, pp. 28-31,. Photo credits: John V. Young. New Mexico'slargest public works project of the Great Depressionperiod has become one of its most popular water-basedrecrea- tion areas at ConchasLake StatePark. This * ConchosLotr Stota Porl park occupiesthree siteson the shoresof the 10,000-acreConchas reservoir, 30 miles northwest of Tucumcari.A state park since also give us wonderful recreationareas like project on fuly 29, 1935.Construction by the 1955,Conchas has most of the amenitiesof ConchasLake StatePark. Corps of Engineersstarted soon afterward a full-scale lakeside resort-a paved and and storageof water beganon December29, lighted airstrip, a nine-hole all-grass golf ConchasDam and Reservoir 1938.Construction was completedSeptem- course,a modem motel, a cabincolony, stores, Most of the water in Conchas Reservoir ber 15, 1939. restaurants,and year-roundberths ior hun- comesdown the CanadianRiver. This river The dam is a concrete structure that is 235 dredsof boatsat two well-equippedmarinas. headsin the northern part of New Mexico, feet high and 1.,250feet long at the crest. Only a smallpart of the very irregularshore- west of Raton.Along its path to the reservoir There are outlets near the base of the dam line is open to public accessby land because it picks up water from numerous tributaries to maintain low water flow and a 340-ft un- most of the surroundingland is private prop- that drain the easternslopes of the Sangre gated spillway in the middle of the dam for erty. However, all of the water area, about de Cristo Mountains. The most important of ordinary high water flow. The elevation at 15 mi'at high water, is open to the public. thesetributaries are the Vermejo,Cimarron, the crestof the spillway is 4,201feet.At this The name Conchasis from the Spanishword Ocate,and Mora. It is interesting to follow level, the reservoir contains 352,55Lacre-ft for shells,applied for an unknown reasonto the developmentof the Canadianas it is joined of water, covers an area of 9,797 acres or a tribe of Indians who were inhabiting the by these rivers. Just south of Raton, above about L5 mi2, and extends14 mi up the Ca- area when the Spaniards arrived late in the the confluenceof the Vermejo,the discharge nadian River and 11 mi up the ConchasRiver. 17th century. A relic of the vanishedIndian of the CanadianRiver amountsto onlv 3.940 Originally the reservoir had a capacity of culture is preserved in a large petroglyph ex- acre-ftper year. (An acre-footis the amount 370,200acre-ft at an elevation of 4,201,feet, hibited in the Corps of Engineersadminis- of water needed to cover an acre of land to but silting, primarily by the Canadian River, trative area at the north end of the spillway. a depth of one fooU this is approximately is steadily reducing the storage capabilities The normally quiet rivers and dry creek 325,000gallons). Below the mouths of the of the reservoir. fust north of the dam is a bedsin this areacan becomeraging torrents Vermejo and Cimarron Rivers the flow in- concreteemergency spillway with a crest ele- of destruction in a matter of hours during creasesto 77,460 acre-ft and below the Ocate vation of 4.218feet. At this levelthe reservoir the summer seasonof violent thunder- and Mora Rivers it reaches 170,900acre-ft. would contain 550,799acre-ft of water. Al- storms.To harnessthis destructiveforce and The Conchas River, which empties into the though Conchas Reservoir has overflowed conservewaters that would otherwiseevaD- reservoirfrom the west, is dry during part the main spillway on numerous occasions,it orate after flooding the lowlands, multipur- of the year and suppliesonly an averageof has yet to reach the level of the emergenry pose dams were constructed.These dams, 13,250acre-ft of water annually. spillway. in addition to controlling floods and provid- ConchasDam was approved by President The dam has helped prevent the Canadian ing a reliable sourceof water for irrigation, FranklinD. Rooseveltas an emergencyrelief River floods that formerly devastated farms February 7985 Nats Metico Geology and communities in Texas, Oklahoma, and ming pool, a fine museum with early west- the last period of the Mesozoic Era, the Cre- easternNew Mexico. The maximum amount ern relics,and a rock and mineral collection taceous, a large inland sea covered much of of water impounded by the reservoir was are located within the city. New Mexico and the western United States recorded Afril 2a, 1942,when it contained and Canada. The shoreline of this sea fluc- 479,500acre-ft. The minimum water content Geologic setting tuated back and forth across the present site after initial filling was on September 12 and Rocksseen in the ConchasLake areawere of Conchas Lake leaving behind thick de- 13,t964, when 82,840acre-ft were in storage. depositedduring the MesozoicEra. This part posits of sands and shales that contain nu- Irrigation water is diverted from the res- of geologictime began about225million years merous fossils of clams, oysters, and ervoir through a tunnel under the earth- and ago and ended 70 million yearsago. The rocks cephalopods. At the close of Mesozoic time rock-fill south dike. The sill of the tunnel is you can see in all directions from the dam thb mai6r uplift of the Rocky Mountains be- 'Age at an elevationof 4,155feet, at which level were depositedduring the of Reptiles," gan and eastern New Mexico was once again the reservoir would contain 90,800acre-ft. the time of the great dinosaurs. The sand- ibove sea level. Erosion removed large quan- About 40,000acres are irrigated in the Arch stones that border the lake and the shales tities of the Cretaceous rocks and this ero- Hurley conservation district with water from that underlie the lowlands beyond represent sional cycle has continued with minor ConchasReservoir. The principal crops grown Triassictime; those in the slopesof the high interruptions to the present. The develop- at the present time are alfalfa, sorghum, mesasto the north and south representJur- ment of the canvons of the Canadian River wheat, barley,oats, rye, silage,cotton, pea- assictime. Most of thesesediments were de- and its tributaries, which began less than a nuts, and various vegetables.Water quality positedby rivers but there were also extensive million years agol is a very recent event rn is satisfactoryfor irrigation purposes/ con- sand dunes during parts of Jurassictime. In this cycle. taining slightly more than 500ppm dissolved solids.This is abovethe minimum standards 5)" EtG : r :Er r :r for drinking water, but this level only means :r r :'e .r:, E it may be somewhat hard on plumbing MINING REGISTRATIONS that (AUGUST 24, 1.984,THROUGH NOVEMBER 1.5,"1984) and the tastemay be a little strong because Bureauof Mine Inspection Energy & Minerals Dept. 2825-E Broadbent Pkwy. NE Albuquerque, NM 87107 of the sulfates.Following treatmentit is per- fectly safe for drinking. Date and operation Operators and owners Location Recreation 824-84 Operator-85 Proper,Phelps Dodge Corp., P.O.Box 151, Hidalgo Co.; sec. 12, T. 23 S., R. 18, 19 W.; land; Virginia mining district; di- Fishing, boating, water skiing, skin div- Sitrord., AZ 85548-0151;Person in charge-J. E. Cross, private 9:,,t* 1323W. Relation, Safford, AZ, phone: (602) 428-5349; rections to mine: 3 mi south of Lordsburg, ing, swimming, and golf are very popular Propertyowner-Federal Resources,Westar, Phelps Dodge NM activities at Conchas Reservoir. Everything Ooerator-silver Reef, Trans Mountain Industries, Box Hidalgo Co.; T. 23, 24 5., R. 19 W.; federal from small outboards and canoes to larg6 cabifi 3#;* 10180,El Paso,TX 79992;Gen. Mgt.-A. G. Jarvis,10420 land; Pyramid mining district; directions cruisers, houseboats, and sailboats ply the copper Montwood, El Paso, TX, phone: (915) 592-5874;Other to mine: south of Lordsburg on Animas waters of the lake. Game fish include walleye official-Mack W. Dalton, same address and phone as road, approximately 6 mi. pike, large-mouth bass, channel catfish, white Gen. Mgr.; Properiy owner-C. B. Wilson, Box 21, Lordsburg,NM and black crappie, green sunfish, bluegills, 88045 and black bullheads. Because oJ the overlap ,)_zs_a+ Operator-Virtue, Phelps Dodge Corp., P.O. Box 151, Grant Co.; sec. 2, T. 19 S., R. 15 W.; private of the time of irrigation and the spawning metal Satrord, AZ 85448-0151;Person in charge-J. E. Cross, land; Burro Mountain mining district; di- season, it is necessary to restock the lake Mine Foreman,1323 W Relation,Safford, AZ, phone (502) rections to mine: 7 mi SW of Silver City, with certain species. 428-5349 NM 10-9-84 Operator-Sunspot, Sunshine Sewices,Inc., 1160Air- Otero Co.; federal land; directions to pit: limestone ways,El Paso,TX79925;Gen. Mgr.-LilyAmparan, same from Cloudcroft, take NM-24 south to Facilities address, phone: (915) 592-5?12;Gen. Supt.-Mack Har- Forest Hwy. 54; go to Sunspot, NM; quany Conchas Lake State Park has more than ris, same address, phone: (915) 434-0280; is located 2 mi east Property owner-Lincoln National Forest,Cloudcoft, NM 150 developed campsites with tables, fire- places and rest rooms in three recreation areas 10-9-84 Operator-Pinos Altos Proiect, Boliden Minerals , Inc., 2596 Grant Co.; sec. 25, 30, T. 15 S., R. 14 W., City, NM 88051;Gen. Mgr.-Louis federal land; Pinos Altos mining district; by roads. Drinking water is N. Silver St., Silver accessible paved ;,oI"P"t' Bernard,same address, phone: 388-2084;Mine Supt.- directions to mine: 1.5 mi north of Pinos available at the north, south, and central areas, ;ii;; JohnL.

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