Elephant Butte Lake: 13.5% full as of 2025-03-12

Elephant Butte Lake (located in New Mexico) is governed by the Rio Grande Compact. The Rio Grande Compact is an interstate compact signed in 1938 between the states of Colorado, New Mexico and Texas and approved by the U.S. Congress, to equitably apportion the waters of the Rio Grande Basin. Water from the lake supplies irrigation water as well as a portion of El Paso's supply when available.

Historical Data

Date Percent Full Mean Water Level
(ft)
Reservoir Storage
(acre-ft)
Conservation Storage
(acre-ft)
Conservation Capacity
(acre-ft)
Surface Area
(acres)
Most recent 2025-03-12 13.5 4,320.99 267,326 267,326 1,985,900 9,171
1 day prior 2025-03-11 13.4 4,320.90 266,502 266,502 1,985,900 9,155
2 days prior 2025-03-10 13.4 4,320.81 265,678 265,678 1,985,900 9,139
1 week prior 2025-03-05 13.2 4,320.34 261,403 261,403 1,985,900 9,056
1 month prior 2025-02-12 12.2 4,318.08 241,421 241,421 1,985,900 8,622
3 months prior 2024-12-12 8.1 4,307.54 160,874 160,874 1,985,900 6,729
6 months prior 2024-09-12 7.1 4,304.20 139,335 139,335 1,960,900 6,171
1 year prior 2024-03-12 24.3 4,340.39 483,333 483,333 1,985,900 13,299
*

Percent Full is based on Conservation Storage and Conservation Capacity and doesn't account for storage in flood pool.

**

   Values above, including today's are averaged conditions. For near real-time instantaneous water level, see table below or the interactive map viewer.

Most Recent Instantaneous Water Level

Date/time Water Level
(ft)
Conservation Pool Elevation
(ft)
Height Above Conservation Pool
(ft)
Most recent 2025-03-12 23:00 4,321.06 4,406.30 -85.24
1 hour prior 2025-03-12 22:00 4,321.03 4,406.30 -85.27
2 hours prior 2025-03-12 21:00 4,321.03 4,406.30 -85.27
6 hours prior 2025-03-12 17:00 4,321.01 4,406.30 -85.29
12 hours prior 2025-03-12 11:00 4,321.00 4,406.30 -85.30
24 hours prior 2025-03-11 23:00 4,320.94 4,406.30 -85.36
48 hours prior 2025-03-10 23:00 4,320.87 4,406.30 -85.43
*

Data is provisional and subject to revision.

Additional Information

Vertical datum NGVD29 -43.3
Dead pool elevation 4,231.50 ft above NGVD29 -43.3
Emergency spillway crest elevation 4,414.00 ft above NGVD29 -43.3
Maximum design elevation 4,415.00 ft above NGVD29 -43.3
Top of dam elevation 4,414.00 ft above NGVD29 -43.3
Conservation pool elevation
Start date: 2020-04-01 (Seasonal: April 1 to October 1)
4,405.59 ft above NGVD29 -43.3
Conservation pool elevation
Start date: 2020-04-01 (Seasonal: October 1 to April 1)
4,406.30 ft above NGVD29 -43.3
Conservation pool elevation
End date: 2020-01-01
4,407.00 ft above NGVD29 -43.3
Conservation pool elevation
Start date to end date: 2020-01-01 to 2020-04-01
4,406.30 ft above NGVD29 -43.3
Data download (CSV) period of record, last one year, last 30 days

Elevation-Area-Capacity Curves

2019-11-01 (source: USBR)
Data Source USBR:EBDN5

Lake Location