McClure Reservoir Marks 100 Years of Serving Santa Fe’s Water System

The City of Santa Fe is celebrating the 100th anniversary of McClure Reservoir, a century-old piece of infrastructure that has played a vital role in providing safe, reliable drinking water to generations of Santa Fe residents.

Originally completed in 1926 as Granite Point Reservoir, the facility has undergone numerous improvements and expansions over the past century to meet the community's growing water needs while maintaining the City's commitment to responsible stewardship of its water resources.

When full, McClure Reservoir can store about 1/3 of Santa Fe's annual water demand. The reservoir is used to capture snowmelt runoff in the spring for use throughout the year and remains one of the City's most important water storage facilities and a key component of Santa Fe's diversified water portfolio.

"McClure Reservoir represents more than a century of thoughtful planning and investment in one of our community's most precious resources," Mayor Michael J. Garcia said. "The leaders who built this reservoir 100 years ago understood the importance of securing Santa Fe's water future. Today, we continue that legacy by maintaining and improving this critical infrastructure while responsibly managing our water supply for generations to come."

The reservoir's history reflects decades of engineering improvements designed to increase storage capacity and improve reliability.

In 1935, permanent flash boards were added to increase the original 561acre-feet capacity to 650 acre-feet. Following a major reconstruction of the dam and spillway in 1946 and 1947, storage capacity was expanded to 2,615 acre-feet, and the reservoir was renamed McClure Reservoir in honor of Thomas McClure, who served as New Mexico State Engineer from 1932 until his death in 1946.

Additional improvements continued throughout the decades. Radial spillway gates installed in 1953 increased storage to more than 3,000 acre-feet before being removed in 1972, returning capacity to 2,615 acre-feet. Modifications completed in 1989 increased storage to 2,813 acre-feet.

In1995, following the decommissioning of Two-Mile Dam, the addition of a wall on the dam crest and fuse gates on the spillway, increased McClure's capacity to 3,257 acre-feet. Those improvements also allowed the transfer of 500 acre-feet of pre-1929 Rio Grande Compact water storage rights from Two-Mile to McClure.

Combined with the reservoir's original 561 acre-feet of storage rights established in 1,061 acre-feet of valuable pre-Rio Grande Compact water storage rights along the upper Santa Fe River. These rights provide added flexibility because they can be used regardless of water conditions along the Rio Grande.

"McClure Reservoir has adapted alongside our community for 100 years," said Public Utilities Director Jesse Roach. "Its continued operation reflects the foresight of previous generations and the dedication of today's water professionals who work every day to protect Santa Fe's water supply."

With significant forthcoming investment in McClure, Santa Fe will assure that McClure Reservoir remains a cornerstone of the City's resilient and sustainable water system.

About City of Santa Fe Water

City of Santa Fe Water manages a diverse water supply that includes surface water, groundwater and reclaimed water resources. Through investments in conservation, infrastructure and long-term planning, the utility works to provide safe, reliable drinking water to meet the needs of the City now and into the future while protecting the region's limited water resources for future generations.

Peter Olson

City of Santa Fe

Communications Director

(505) 819-1062