Eagle Nest Lake
Eagle Nest Lake held 20,850 acre-feet on Nov 4, 2026, 25.7% of its full pool.
A storage reservoir: it holds water for later release. On Cimarron River headwaters. Canadian basin.
These reservoirs hold water for later use. Percent full is the water held divided by what the reservoir can hold at its full pool, using the capacity that applied at the time.
Last 365 days
Percent of the full pool. There are too few years with a trustworthy capacity record to show what is normal for the date.
Show the data as a table
Year by year
The highest, average and lowest percent of the full 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
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 | 308 | 30,030 | 26,123 | 20,585 | 37.0% | 32.2% | 25.4% | The operator's current table fits the record |
| 2025 | 365 | 32,730 | 30,893 | 29,620 | 40.4% | 38.1% | 36.5% | The operator's current table fits the record |
| 2024 | 366 | 38,210 | 33,910 | 29,020 | 47.1% | 41.8% | 35.8% | The operator's current table fits the record |
| 2023 | 365 | 43,220 | 36,894 | 31,580 | 53.3% | 45.5% | 39.0% | The operator's current table fits the record |
| 2022 | 365 | 38,430 | 34,935 | 31,290 | 47.4% | 43.1% | 38.6% | The operator's current table fits the record |
| 2021 | 365 | 39,150 | 36,896 | 35,010 | 48.3% | 45.5% | 43.2% | The operator's current table fits the record |
| 2020 | 366 | 48,010 | 41,927 | 35,070 | 59.2% | 51.7% | 43.3% | The operator's current table fits the record |
| 2019 | 365 | 51,240 | 43,663 | 33,300 | 63.2% | 53.9% | 41.1% | The operator's current table fits the record |
| 2018 | 365 | 43,060 | 38,378 | 33,120 | 53.1% | 47.3% | 40.9% | The operator's current table fits the record |
| 2017 | 365 | 43,710 | 39,128 | 29,830 | 53.9% | 48.3% | 36.8% | The operator's current table fits the record |
| 2016 | 366 | 35,510 | 31,896 | 29,170 | 43.8% | 39.3% | 36.0% | The operator's current table fits the record |
| 2015 | 365 | 31,320 | 25,963 | 17,210 | 38.6% | 32.0% | 21.2% | The operator's current table fits the record |
| 2014 | 365 | 22,040 | 20,038 | 16,860 | 26.5% | 24.1% | 20.3% | Capacity recovered from the record, weakly supportednot used for "this date in other years" |
| 2013 | 365 | 30,100 | 25,052 | 20,690 | 36.2% | 30.1% | 24.9% | Before elevation records began; capacity extrapolatednot used for "this date in other years" |
| 2012 | 366 | 41,410 | 35,164 | 28,790 | 49.8% | 42.2% | 34.6% | Before elevation records began; capacity extrapolatednot used for "this date in other years" |
| 2011 | 365 | 52,690 | 45,230 | 37,980 | 63.3% | 54.3% | 45.6% | Before elevation records began; capacity extrapolatednot used for "this date in other years" |
| 2010 | 365 | 61,150 | 52,681 | 43,690 | 73.5% | 63.3% | 52.5% | Before elevation records began; capacity extrapolatednot used for "this date in other years" |
| 2009 | 365 | 52,320 | 47,294 | 43,150 | 62.9% | 56.8% | 51.8% | Before elevation records began; capacity extrapolatednot used for "this date in other years" |
| 2008 | 366 | 50,960 | 45,465 | 37,400 | 61.2% | 54.6% | 44.9% | Before elevation records began; capacity extrapolatednot used for "this date in other years" |
| 2007 | 365 | 42,320 | 37,944 | 32,210 | 50.8% | 45.6% | 38.7% | Before elevation records began; capacity extrapolatednot used for "this date in other years" |
| 2006 | 365 | 40,730 | 36,015 | 31,520 | 48.9% | 43.3% | 37.9% | Before elevation records began; capacity extrapolatednot used for "this date in other years" |
| 2005 | 350 | 45,970 | 37,288 | 25,610 | 55.2% | 44.8% | 30.8% | Before elevation records began; capacity extrapolatednot used for "this date in other years" |
| 2004 | 360 | 30,400 | 26,675 | 24,820 | 36.5% | 32.0% | 29.8% | Before elevation records began; capacity extrapolatednot used for "this date in other years" |
| 2003 | 365 | 37,530 | 31,765 | 25,300 | 45.1% | 38.2% | 30.4% | Before elevation records began; capacity extrapolatednot used for "this date in other years" |
| 2002 | 365 | 48,300 | 41,197 | 34,540 | 58.0% | 49.5% | 41.5% | Before elevation records began; capacity extrapolatednot used for "this date in other years" |
| 2001 | 365 | 58,900 | 52,956 | 46,100 | 70.8% | 63.6% | 55.4% | Before elevation records began; capacity extrapolatednot used for "this date in other years" |
| 2000 | 366 | 67,600 | 60,912 | 53,600 | 81.2% | 73.2% | 64.4% | Before elevation records began; capacity extrapolatednot used for "this date in other years" |
| 1999 | 365 | 67,300 | 63,056 | 58,000 | 80.9% | 75.8% | 69.7% | Before elevation records began; capacity extrapolatednot used for "this date in other years" |
| 1998 | 365 | 69,400 | 62,582 | 56,500 | 83.4% | 75.2% | 67.9% | Before elevation records began; capacity extrapolatednot used for "this date in other years" |
| 1997 | 365 | 73,100 | 64,307 | 55,600 | 87.8% | 77.3% | 66.8% | Before elevation records began; capacity extrapolatednot used for "this date in other years" |
| 1996 | 366 | 72,280 | 63,140 | 54,800 | 86.8% | 75.9% | 65.8% | Before elevation records began; capacity extrapolatednot used for "this date in other years" |
| 1995 | 365 | 79,600 | 73,838 | 68,990 | 95.6% | 88.7% | 82.9% | Before elevation records began; capacity extrapolatednot used for "this date in other years" |
| 1994 | 365 | 81,360 | 72,922 | 69,700 | 97.8% | 87.6% | 83.7% | Before elevation records began; capacity extrapolatednot used for "this date in other years" |
| 1993 | 365 | 77,410 | 70,267 | 64,160 | 93.0% | 84.4% | 77.1% | Before elevation records began; capacity extrapolatednot used for "this date in other years" |
| 1992 | 366 | 75,880 | 70,571 | 62,830 | 91.2% | 84.8% | 75.5% | Before elevation records began; capacity extrapolatednot used for "this date in other years" |
| 1991 | 365 | 74,990 | 70,735 | 62,790 | 90.1% | 85.0% | 75.4% | Before elevation records began; capacity extrapolatednot used for "this date in other years" |
| 1990 | 365 | 71,800 | 65,434 | 62,120 | 86.3% | 78.6% | 74.6% | Before elevation records began; capacity extrapolatednot used for "this date in other years" |
| 1989 | 365 | 73,590 | 67,308 | 62,680 | 88.4% | 80.9% | 75.3% | Before elevation records began; capacity extrapolatednot used for "this date in other years" |
| 1988 | 366 | 73,250 | 69,398 | 65,360 | 88.0% | 83.4% | 78.5% | Before elevation records began; capacity extrapolatednot used for "this date in other years" |
| 1987 | 190 | 77,840 | 72,704 | 70,460 | 93.5% | 87.4% | 84.7% | Before elevation records began; capacity extrapolatednot used for "this date in other years" |
| 1986 | 5 | 76,120 | 75,152 | 74,590 | 91.5% | 90.3% | 89.6% | Before elevation records began; capacity extrapolatednot used for "this date in other years" |
About this reservoir
A high-elevation reservoir at the head of the Cimarron River, built in 1918 and owned by the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish. It stores water for downstream irrigation and is a major recreation and fishing lake.
How to use these numbers
- Northeastern headwater conditions. Storage tracks snowmelt from the Moreno Valley and the surrounding peaks.
Read before quoting a number
- Elevation is reported only from 2013. Storage before then cannot be tied to a capacity table vintage and is measured against the current table.
- Since 2013 the lake has not risen above about 8,181 ft, roughly 50,600 acre-feet or 62% of full pool, though it routinely held 70,000 to 81,000 acre-feet before 2000. Whether that is drought alone or an operating restriction should be confirmed with the owner before drawing conclusions from the recent percentages.
The dam
| Dam | Eagle Nest Dam |
|---|---|
| Owner | New Mexico Department of Game and Fish (State) |
| Type | Arch |
| Purposes, per the dam registry | Irrigation, Recreation |
| Completed | 1918 |
| Height | 142 feet |
| Hazard class | High |
| Registry capacity | 98,400 acre-feet at most, 81,000 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 (NMISC, effective 1900-01-01), checked against the storage the operator reports. Since the table took effect, it reproduces reported storage from reported elevation to within 3 acre-feet in the median (0.01% of storage), across 3,220 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full poolused as 100% | 8,194.6 | 81,073 | the elevation at which the current table holds 81,000 acre-feet: the storage record (1986-2026) tops out at 81,360, matching the dam registry normal storage of 81,000 |
Capacity over time (2 tables in force)
| Period | Capacity (acre-feet) | How well supported |
|---|---|---|
| 2013-10-01 to 2014-12-312013-2014 table | 83,232 | Capacity recovered from the record, weakly supported |
| 2015-01-01 to 2026-11-03current table | 81,073 | The operator's current table fits the record |
Rivers
Data and sources
Record from 1986 (41 years with readings), through Nov 4, 2026. Where several agencies report the same reservoir, we take each day's value from the first in this list that has one:
- U.S. Geological Survey NWIS: 14,362 days
Year by year (CSV) ยท Last 365 days (CSV)
Credit: 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.