Elephant Butte Reservoir
Sierra County, New Mexico42,750 acresView mapDirections
NMED publishes the water-quality measurements for Elephant Butte Reservoir. Here is what has been measured.
- Impaired · Mercury
- Public access
- Limited data
Elephant Butte Reservoir in Sierra County, New Mexico has water-quality measurements published by NMED, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 3.4 ft visibility. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 20.8 µg/L. Surface area: 42750 acres.
Elephant Butte Reservoir is a 42,750-acre lake in Sierra County, New Mexico. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 2 public boat landings.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, NMED, last sampled 2020-08-06. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
At about 43,000 acres, Elephant Butte Reservoir is large enough that where you stay decides which shore you see most of. It has 2 public boat landings, so a lakefront rental is not the only way to get a boat on the water. If you are planning to stay, you can search lake houses and cabins around Elephant Butte Reservoir on Vrbo, or look for a hotel room near the lake on Booking.com or Expedia.
What Elephant Butte Reservoir is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch2 documented ramps
- Big water42,750 acres
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Elephant Butte Reservoir is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury, pCBs. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Elephant Butte Reservoir is safe to swim in today is a call for the New Mexico Environment Department and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Elephant Butte Reservoir
These are the measurements NMED publishes for Elephant Butte Reservoir, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Murky, only visible to about 3.4 ft. Chlorophyll-a 20.8 µg/L. TSI 60.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 3.4ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | No reading The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential. | |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 20.8µg/L | Measured, not scored The green pigment in algae — a direct measure of how much algae is in the water. |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 60 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Elephant Butte Reservoir
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Surface area
42,750 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by NMED
No bathymetric survey has been published for Elephant Butte Reservoir, so its depth is not documented here.
Recreation & Access
- Elephant Butte Lake State Park - Rock Canyon MarinaPublic
- Elephant Butte Lake State Park - South MonticelloPublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Elephant Butte Reservoir
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Top-rated places to stay near Elephant Butte Reservoir
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Fishing Elephant Butte Reservoir
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Elephant Butte Reservoir is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Elephant Butte Dike (completed 1920), built primarily for flood risk reduction on the Rio Grande River; rockfill-type dam, 59 ft tall and 2,000 ft long.
- Surface area
- 42,750 ac
- Normal storage
- 2,065,010 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 2,593,255 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 28,900 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- BUREAU OF RECLAMATION
All listed purposes: Flood Risk Reduction;Irrigation;Recreation;Hydroelectric.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID NM00129 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Elephant Butte Reservoir is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Aquatic life.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit NM-2104_00 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Sierra County
Frequently asked questions about Elephant Butte Reservoir
Where is Elephant Butte Reservoir?
- Elephant Butte Reservoir is a lake in Sierra County, New Mexico. Its water-quality measurements are published by NMED and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Elephant Butte Reservoir?
- Elephant Butte Reservoir in Sierra County, New Mexico has water-quality measurements published by NMED, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 3.4 ft visibility. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 20.8 µg/L. Surface area: 42750 acres.
Is Elephant Butte Reservoir safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Elephant Butte Reservoir is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury, pCBs. Check local advisories before you swim.
Are there boat ramps on Elephant Butte Reservoir?
- Elephant Butte Reservoir has 2 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Elephant Butte Lake State Park - Rock Canyon Marina, Elephant Butte Lake State Park - South Monticello. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Elephant Butte Reservoir?
- Elephant Butte Reservoir has 2 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Seasons, size and bag limits, and whether you need a license are set by New Mexico's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
Explore Elephant Butte Reservoir across LakeQuality
Depth, room, public access, and the state wake-sport rules
2 thermal springs within 22 mi, nearest Truth Or Consequences
Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
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Where this data comes from
3 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- NM Environmental Dept./SWQB
21NMEX_WQX3 samples · 2020
Analytical methods
- 10200 H 2 ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination by spectrophotometer
Monitoring station identifiers (1)
EPA condition classes from the National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See where the data comes from and data sources.
Other records on this page
Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory