Abiquiu Lake
Abiquiu Lake held 172,985 acre-feet on Nov 2, 2026, 75.5% of its conservation pool: normal for the date (the middle of past years is 78.9%).
A flood-control dam with a conservation or recreation pool beneath a much larger flood pool. On Rio Chama. Rio Grande (Rio Chama) basin.
These lakes hold a normal "conservation" or recreation pool and keep a much larger space empty to catch floods. Percent is measured against the conservation pool, so a reading above 100% means flood water is being held back.
Last 365 days
Percent of the conservation pool, against the middle and spread of the same date in other years (the shaded bands: the middle half and the 10th to 90th percentile of past years).
- Median of past years
- Percent of conservation pool
- 10th–90th percentile of past years
- Middle half of past years
Show the data as a table
Year by year
The highest, average and lowest percent of the conservation pool in each calendar year. The latest year is partial. Years whose capacity is less certain are marked in the table below.
- Highest
- Average
- Lowest
Show the data as a table
The comparison uses 30 years of 1991-2020 whose capacity figure is published, current-table, high- or medium-confidence, 1991–2020, pooling 3 days either side of each date.
Readings are what the operating agencies report; we have not audited the latest values. Reclamation labels its data "provisional and subject to revision unless otherwise noted."
Year-by-year table, with how well capacity is known
| Year | Days | Most (acre-feet) | Average | Least | Highest % | Average % | Lowest % | Capacity figure |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 306 | 172,985 | 114,615 | 107,947 | 75.5% | 50.0% | 47.1% | Capacity published by the operator for that year |
| 2025 | 365 | 122,999 | 108,231 | 94,133 | 53.7% | 47.2% | 41.1% | Capacity published by the operator for that year |
| 2024 | 366 | 114,674 | 96,432 | 76,729 | 50.0% | 42.1% | 33.5% | Capacity published by the operator for that year |
| 2023 | 365 | 232,686 | 144,526 | 72,362 | 125.9% | 78.2% | 39.2% | Capacity published by the operator for that year |
| 2022 | 365 | 124,855 | 96,125 | 75,304 | 67.6% | 52.0% | 40.8% | Capacity published by the operator for that year |
| 2021 | 365 | 85,126 | 72,066 | 63,939 | 45.6% | 38.6% | 34.2% | Capacity published by the operator for that year |
| 2020 | 366 | 92,386 | 72,928 | 50,752 | 49.5% | 39.0% | 27.2% | Capacity published by the operator for that year |
| 2019 | 365 | 106,256 | 74,584 | 57,447 | 56.9% | 39.9% | 30.7% | Capacity published by the operator for that year |
| 2018 | 365 | 126,089 | 101,366 | 78,078 | 67.5% | 54.3% | 41.8% | Capacity published by the operator for that year |
| 2017 | 365 | 155,043 | 132,762 | 117,244 | 83.0% | 71.1% | 62.8% | Capacity published by the operator for that year |
| 2016 | 366 | 147,079 | 126,547 | 112,199 | 78.7% | 67.7% | 60.1% | Capacity published by the operator for that year |
| 2015 | 365 | 147,540 | 131,333 | 118,560 | 79.0% | 70.3% | 63.5% | Capacity published by the operator for that year |
| 2014 | 365 | 154,715 | 136,059 | 117,437 | 82.8% | 72.8% | 62.9% | Capacity published by the operator for that year |
| 2013 | 365 | 171,023 | 149,839 | 124,113 | 93.0% | 81.5% | 67.5% | Capacity published by the operator for that year |
| 2012 | 366 | 181,475 | 164,629 | 143,175 | 98.7% | 89.5% | 77.9% | Capacity published by the operator for that year |
| 2011 | 365 | 185,216 | 170,295 | 147,283 | 100.7% | 92.6% | 80.1% | Capacity published by the operator for that year |
| 2010 | 365 | 196,587 | 177,033 | 151,112 | 106.9% | 96.3% | 82.2% | Capacity published by the operator for that year |
| 2009 | 365 | 218,576 | 184,165 | 175,899 | 118.9% | 100.2% | 95.7% | Capacity published by the operator for that year |
| 2008 | 366 | 194,200 | 180,901 | 174,056 | 105.6% | 98.4% | 94.7% | Capacity published by the operator for that year |
| 2007 | 365 | 187,291 | 177,131 | 157,749 | 101.9% | 96.3% | 85.8% | Capacity published by the operator for that year |
| 2006 | 365 | 173,587 | 157,028 | 134,153 | 94.4% | 85.4% | 73.0% | Capacity published by the operator for that year |
| 2005 | 365 | 193,408 | 122,506 | 110,455 | 105.2% | 66.6% | 60.1% | Capacity published by the operator for that year |
| 2004 | 366 | 136,608 | 114,684 | 73,349 | 74.3% | 62.4% | 39.9% | Capacity published by the operator for that year |
| 2003 | 365 | 73,064 | 54,396 | 41,807 | 39.7% | 29.6% | 22.7% | Capacity published by the operator for that year |
| 2002 | 365 | 156,452 | 96,029 | 41,247 | 85.1% | 52.2% | 22.4% | Capacity published by the operator for that year |
| 2001 | 365 | 153,498 | 118,048 | 91,495 | 83.5% | 64.2% | 49.8% | Capacity published by the operator for that year |
| 2000 | 366 | 182,234 | 132,978 | 69,213 | 99.1% | 72.3% | 37.6% | Capacity published by the operator for that year |
| 1999 | 365 | 185,703 | 173,874 | 160,280 | 101.0% | 94.6% | 87.2% | Capacity published by the operator for that year |
| 1998 | 365 | 185,670 | 167,223 | 149,995 | 101.0% | 90.9% | 81.6% | Capacity published by the operator for that year |
| 1997 | 365 | 193,634 | 172,404 | 157,864 | 105.3% | 93.8% | 85.9% | Capacity published by the operator for that year |
| 1996 | 366 | 218,573 | 171,537 | 140,868 | 118.9% | 93.3% | 76.6% | Capacity published by the operator for that year |
| 1995 | 365 | 305,944 | 228,829 | 156,955 | 166.4% | 124.4% | 85.4% | Capacity published by the operator for that year |
| 1994 | 365 | 244,441 | 176,058 | 150,364 | 132.9% | 95.7% | 81.8% | Capacity published by the operator for that year |
| 1993 | 365 | 264,472 | 193,288 | 127,056 | 143.8% | 105.1% | 69.1% | Capacity published by the operator for that year |
| 1992 | 366 | 202,266 | 154,032 | 113,803 | 110.0% | 83.8% | 61.9% | Capacity published by the operator for that year |
| 1991 | 365 | 256,856 | 188,314 | 154,429 | 139.7% | 102.4% | 84.0% | Capacity published by the operator for that year |
| 1990 | 365 | 176,095 | 166,737 | 154,029 | 95.8% | 90.7% | 83.8% | Capacity published by the operator for that year |
| 1989 | 365 | 198,338 | 174,426 | 154,141 | 107.9% | 94.9% | 83.8% | Capacity published by the operator for that year |
| 1988 | 366 | 194,457 | 184,801 | 177,369 | 105.8% | 100.5% | 96.5% | Capacity published by the operator for that year |
| 1987 | 365 | 402,258 | 293,114 | 168,394 | 218.8% | 159.4% | 91.6% | Capacity published by the operator for that year |
| 1986 | 365 | 352,238 | 288,016 | 186,804 | 191.6% | 156.6% | 101.6% | Capacity published by the operator for that year |
| 1985 | 365 | 382,720 | 283,464 | 159,560 | 208.1% | 154.2% | 86.8% | Capacity published by the operator for that year |
| 1984 | 366 | 234,960 | 151,806 | 102,380 | 127.8% | 82.6% | 55.7% | Capacity published by the operator for that year |
| 1983 | 365 | 175,460 | 102,710 | 80,042 | 95.4% | 55.9% | 43.5% | Capacity published by the operator for that year |
| 1982 | 365 | 84,515 | 40,971 | 31,248 | 46.0% | 22.3% | 17.0% | Capacity published by the operator for that year |
| 1981 | 365 | 40,857 | 37,904 | 35,330 | 22.2% | 20.6% | 19.2% | Capacity published by the operator for that year |
| 1980 | 366 | 198,320 | 99,129 | 40,318 | 107.9% | 53.9% | 21.9% | Capacity published by the operator for that year |
| 1979 | 365 | 146,940 | 74,128 | 16,526 | 79.9% | 40.3% | 9.0% | Capacity published by the operator for that year |
| 1978 | 365 | 57,180 | 22,364 | 16,868 | 31.1% | 12.2% | 9.2% | Capacity published by the operator for that year |
| 1977 | 365 | 26,990 | 23,269 | 18,938 | 14.7% | 12.7% | 10.3% | Capacity published by the operator for that year |
| 1976 | 366 | 37,310 | 20,042 | 0 | 20.3% | 10.9% | 0.0% | Capacity published by the operator for that year |
| 1975 | 365 | 110,280 | 23,361 | 3,988 | 60.0% | 12.7% | 2.2% | Capacity published by the operator for that year |
| 1974 | 365 | 42,420 | 6,331 | 3,802 | 23.1% | 3.4% | 2.1% | Capacity published by the operator for that year |
| 1973 | 365 | 205,300 | 68,563 | 1,900 | 111.6% | 37.3% | 1.0% | Capacity published by the operator for that year |
| 1972 | 366 | 3,700 | 2,126 | 1,680 | 2.0% | 1.2% | 0.9% | Capacity published by the operator for that year |
| 1971 | 365 | 4,060 | 2,031 | 1,460 | 2.2% | 1.1% | 0.8% | Capacity published by the operator for that year |
| 1970 | 365 | 48,700 | 5,334 | 281 | 26.5% | 2.9% | 0.2% | Capacity published by the operator for that year |
| 1969 | 92 | 4,170 | 2,512 | 1,480 | 2.3% | 1.4% | 0.8% | Capacity published by the operator for that year |
About this reservoir
An Army Corps flood and sediment control dam on the Rio Chama below El Vado. Its conservation pool is used to store San Juan-Chama water for Albuquerque and other contractors under easements, while the much larger flood pool above it catches spring runoff and storm flows and passes them on at safe rates.
How to use these numbers
- Two different signals in one series. Storage below the top of conservation is mostly banked San Juan-Chama water. Storage above it is flood water being held back, and the days in flood storage column counts when that happened.
- Spring runoff on the Chama. Peak inflow and the timing of flood-pool use record how big and how early the Chama snowmelt was.
- Managed releases. Release peaks show when the Corps and contractors moved water downstream, including coordinated spring releases.
Read before quoting a number
- The top of the conservation pool was raised from 6,220 to 6,230 ft in April 2024 under the City of Albuquerque easement, adding about 44,000 acre-feet. Percentages use the pool capacity the Corps published for each date, so 2024 onward is measured against the larger pool. A rise in percent full across that date is a definition change, not water.
- Design capacity in the dam registry, 1,369,000 acre-feet, is flood capacity to the top of the dam. It is not a meaningful denominator for how full the lake is.
The dam
| Dam | Abiquiu Dam |
|---|---|
| Owner | USACE - Albuquerque District (Federal) |
| Operated with | US Army Corps of Engineers |
| Type | Earth |
| Purposes, per the dam registry | Flood Risk Reduction, Other, Recreation, Water Supply |
| Completed | 1963 |
| Height | 354 feet |
| Hazard class | High |
| Registry capacity | 1,369,000 acre-feet at most, 170,000 normal. Owner-reported and not corrected for sediment. |
National Inventory of Dams, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
How capacity is known
Capacity comes from the operator's elevation-to-storage table (USACE, effective 2022-01-01), checked against the storage the operator reports. Since the table took effect, it reproduces reported storage from reported elevation to within 0 acre-feet in the median (0.00% of storage), across 1,766 days. Where an older table was in force, we recover its capacity from the record and say how well supported it is.
| Pool | Elevation (ft) | Capacity now (acre-feet) | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|---|
| Top of conservation poolused as 100% | 6,230 | 229,199 | CWMS level Abiquiu.Elev.Inst.0.Top of Conservation dated 2024-04-18 |
| Top of flood pool | 6,283.5 | 555,778 | CWMS level Abiquiu.Elev.Inst.0.Top of Flood dated 1900-01-01 |
| Spillway crest | 6,350 | 1,212,120 | CWMS level Abiquiu.Elev.Inst.0.Spillway Crest dated 2014-05-01 |
| Top of dam | 6,381 | 1,662,770 | CWMS level Abiquiu.Elev.Inst.0.Top of Dam dated 1900-01-01 |
Capacity over time (12 tables in force)
| Period | Capacity (acre-feet) | How well supported |
|---|---|---|
| 1974-12-31 to 1975-12-311974-1975 table | 253,354 | Capacity recovered from the record, weakly supported |
| 1976-01-01 to 1977-12-311976-1977 table | 253,354 | Capacity recovered from the record, weakly supported |
| 1978-01-01 to 1980-12-311978-1980 table | 245,880 | Capacity recovered from the record, moderately supported |
| 1981-01-01 to 1983-12-311981-1983 table | 245,880 | Capacity recovered from the record, moderately supported |
| 1984-01-01 to 1985-12-311984-1985 table | 243,735 | Capacity recovered from the record, well supported |
| 1986-01-01 to 1990-12-311986-1990 table | 234,846 | Capacity recovered from the record, well supported |
| 1991-01-01 to 1993-12-311991-1993 table | 232,252 | Capacity recovered from the record, well supported |
| 1994-01-01 to 1998-12-311994-1998 table | 232,240 | Capacity recovered from the record, well supported |
| 1999-01-01 to 2003-12-311999-2003 table | 229,199 | Capacity recovered from the record, well supported |
| 2004-01-01 to 2013-12-31current table | 229,199 | The operator's current table fits the record |
| 2014-01-01 to 2021-12-312014-2021 table | 229,199 | Capacity recovered from the record, moderately supported |
| 2022-01-01 to 2026-11-02current table | 229,199 | The operator's current table fits the record |
Rivers
Data and sources
Record from 1969 (58 years with readings), through Nov 2, 2026. Where several agencies report the same reservoir, we take each day's value from the first in this list that has one:
- Bureau of Reclamation HydroData: 19,298 days
- U.S. Geological Survey NWIS: 1,554 days
Year by year (CSV) · Last 365 days (CSV)
Credit: Bureau of Reclamation HydroData; U.S. Geological Survey NWIS; National Inventory of Dams (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers). Capacity analysis by New Mexico Water. Data accessed November 4, 2026.