Despite its seemingly small capacity, Elephant Butte is still New Mexico’s largest lake. It extends over 57 square kilometers.
On the day KOB 4 visited the lake, the gauges indicated that Elephant Butte had just over 3% capacity. However, only 3% still mean the water is between 30 and 60 feet deep.
“The lake is rarely full,” said Brown. “There have been two full periods in the last hundred years, one in the 40s and the other in the late 80s and 90s.”
Online data show constant water level fluctuations over the decades.
Neal said the beaches shrink as the water levels rise, leaving limited space for campers. So this summer is one of those rare summers when the water levels and beach space are near perfect.
The perception that Elephant Butte is drying up has hurt businesses in the region.
Earl Greer, chief executive of the Elephant Butte Chamber of Commerce, said companies in the area faced two major hurdles – misconceptions about how much water is really in the lake and government-mandated COVID-19 restrictions and closings.
“Nobody came in and nobody was allowed out,” Greer said. “We have a lot of people who come from El Paso, but that’s across the state line and they weren’t allowed in even though they have something here.”
As this part of the state has worked to recover from both COVID-19 restrictions and misperceptions, this summer’s monsoon pattern has helped its efforts. Rainwater has raised Elephant Butte’s lake levels and encouraged people to return. From Thursday the lake will be 5.5% full.
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