Two Rivers Dam
| Two Rivers Dam | |
|---|---|
Two Rivers Dam Location of Two Rivers Dam in New Mexico | |
| Country | United States |
| Location | Chaves County, New Mexico |
| Coordinates | 33°17′52″N 104°43′23″W / 33.29778°N 104.72306°W |
| Purpose | Flood control |
| Opening date | August 1963 |
| Owner | United States Army Corps of Engineers |
| Dam and spillways | |
| Type of dam | Embankment, earth-fill |
| Impounds | Hondo River & Rocky Arroyo |
| Height | 107 ft (33 m) |
| Length | 7,950 ft (2,420 m) |
| Width (base) | 600 ft (180 m) |
| Reservoir | |
| Normal elevation | 3,950 ft (1,200 m) AMSL |
The Two Rivers Dam is a dry dam in southeastern New Mexico, sixteen miles west-southwest of the city of Roswell. It consists of two dams separated by a strip of higher land approximately 1.5 miles wide. Typically, no water is stored behind the dams; they serve primarily for flood control. However, during spring runoff, water backs up behind the northern dam. This creates a small oasis in the lowlands behind the dam.
Both dams are earth-fill structures with coarse rubble on their faces to prevent erosion. The crests of both dams are 4,058 feet above sea level. During a flood, the reservoirs remain separate until the water level reaches 4,000 feet above sea level, at which point they merge into a single large reservoir.