Quick lake update for New Mexico sailors

Heron Lake:
7,148.03 ' elevation.
211,484 acre feet.
Up 1/3 inch and 122 acre feet in 24 hours.
Up 2 inches 731 acre feet in 71 hours.

Monday night (October 23) the flow through the Azotea Tunnel dropped dramatically, from around 200 cubic feet per second (cfs) to just 3 cfs. Willow Creek flows are dropping to follow suit. The lake will probably hold about level for the next week or so, until contractors begin withdrawing water in November.

A third of the slips at the Heron Lake Marina were replaced with a brand-new dock. Further rehabilitation of the older docks is planned for the off season.


Elephant Butte Lake:
4,330.60 ' elevation (above benchmark).
390,224 acre feet.
Up 2-1/2 inches and 2,254 a.f. in 24 hours.
Up 5-1/2 inches and 4,954 a.f. in 71 hours.
Up a foot in less than a week.
Up 3.5 feet so far in October.

The lake is as high as it was last April 28, just before the weekend of the spring series 4 and club championships. It is within four feet of its level at the beginning of the year, and within nine feet of its highest level during the spring runoff this year. Late summer rains have compensated for the sub-normal spring runoff.