Low water levels at Elephant Butte Lake spark concerns for tourism

ELEPHANT BUTTE, N.M. (KVIA) – “I have to sacrifice something to stay alive," said Joseph Carey, owner of Lake Shore Boat Storage. He's one of many business owners in Elephant Butte, New Mexico, seeing fewer tourists visit every year.

Elephant Butte Lake is at 3.9% capacity, according to state park officials. That number increased from 1.4% in just a couple weeks because of heavy rainfall in the region.

According to the Bureau of Reclamation, the average for Elephant Butte is about 9% based on the average storage between October 1990 and September 2020.

The historically low water level took a toll on tourism and the businesses that depend on it.

State park officials said there's still enough water for visitors to enjoy recreational activities, like kayaking and boating. Meanwhile, business owners face the challenge of attracting people to the lake.

“After this level went down, I lost probably about 15 to 18 customers,” Carey said.

Carey said he's selling his own boat and trailers to help keep his business afloat.

Jonathin Horsley, the Elephant Butte State Park superintendent, said water levels can fluctuate based on how much snowmelt feeds the Rio Grande. The region has received little snow in recent years.

Jerome Dodson, who's lived in Elephant Butte for nearly 50 years, saw the lake go up and down firsthand.

"It was June of 1976, and the lake was probably about 10 or 15 feet higher than what it is now. It was completely full for several years, and I think it got the first full part about 1981 or '82. Then it's been fluctuating ever since," Dodson said.

Dodson said by 2001, he starting seeing the lake drop gradually, leaving it where it is today.

Horsley said the current level is among the lowest he has seen in years. He says last year, when the dam turned off, the lake was at 3%.

In 1998, the water volume was at nearly 2 million acre-feet. With a large drop in the 2000s, that level decreased to around 400 thousand acre-feet.

This year, the lake hit almost 30,000 acre-feet, which's considered a severe drought.

Low levels caused boat ramps to close. Horsley said there's still at least 20 feet of water in the lake.

Horsley warned people on boats to watch for debris and other things that came to the surface over the course of 50-60 years.

He said that shouldn't stop visitors from enjoying the lake.

“Folks can still get out. You can still recreate. There’s still plenty of water to get out there,” Horsley said.

Some locals say it's not the low levels, but the perception of the lake's condition that keeps visitors away.

Elephant Butte resident Christine Logan said she's seen fewer people come every year.

“There’s nobody out and about,” Logan said. “I can drive down the highway at 9 in the morning and not see another car."

Logan moved to Elephant Butte four years ago because she wanted to be closer to the lake.

"We came up and stayed in the city for six months in our RV. And after about three months we said, nope, we need to live here all the time," Logan said.

She said she thinks tourists hear about how low the water levels are, and they decide not to come.

“Everybody is saying, ‘Don’t even go, it’s just a puddle,’” she said. “It’s a 2,000-acre-plus puddle.”

Elephant Butte Mayor Richard Holcomb said fewer tourists also means fewer customers for restaurants and other businesses in the area.

"This is the largest lake in the state of New Mexico. When it's full, it's 42 miles long. So it's a very, very big lake. There's no doubt that it is affecting our local businesses here," Mayor Holcomb said.

He says he's been looking for ways to relieve pressure on local business owners. However, the town has to wait for state approval to provide them with emergency aid.

The state park also relies heavily on tourism revenue. Horsley said about 75% of the park's budget comes from fees, meaning a decline in visitors can also reduce revenue.

Horsley says in the last year, the number of visitors from January to September went down from 735,000 in 2025 to around 670,000 in 2026 -- a drop of about 65,000.

“Elephant Butte, the town itself, it’s very much a town based around Elephant Butte Lake,” Horsley said.

With the lake's future dependent in part on precipitation and snowmelt, local officials are looking for other ways to attract visitors.

The mayor pointed to nearby attractions including White Sands National Park and the Gila Mountains as potential draws for tourists.

Mayor Holcomb says the water levels will come back up, but it won't happen overnight.

“If you look at the drought cycles that we've had in the past, this is just one of them. This one's pretty severe. And it's not just here. As I mentioned earlier, it's all over the Southwest. So yes, of course water levels will come back up again, but it's going to take a couple of years to get it back up to where it was before,” Mayor Holcomb said.

For business owners like Carey, however, waiting for the water to return is not an option.

“The boat storage ain’t making it,” Carey said.

Elephant Butte State Park offered free beach camping through September to try to attract more tourists to the area and support local businesses.

Horsley said the average rise per day has been 0.75 inches to two feet. Since the dam closed in late July, the reservoir rose over 17 feet.

He said rains and floods from tropical storms helped increase water levels. The park opened its main boat ramp at Marina Del Sur. Horsley added that the Rock Canyon boat ramp isn't far behind.

According to Horsley, if levels continue to rise at that rate, the Rock Canyon ramp could open by the weekend of Oct. 16.