A water user's association was formed to promote the dam in 1916, and surveying began in 1921. In 1924 the states of Texas and New Mexico agreed to allow construction, and in 1926 President Calvin Coolidge approved the plan. In 1927 the Red Bluff Water Control District was formed to manage the project from seven existing water districts. In 1934 the loan for construction was approved by the Public Works Administration. The dam was completed in September 1936, and started to supply water in 1937.[1]
Structure
The dam is an earthfill structure 9,200 feet (2,800 m) long, 102 feet (31 m) high and with a crest width of 25 feet (7.6 m).[1]
Crest length is 790 feet (240 m). Crest elevation is 2,828 feet (862 m) above sea level.[2] Spillway width is 1,233 feet (376 m).[3] The spillway is concrete ogee controlled by 12 tainter gates, each 25 by 15 feet (7.6 by 4.6 m). The dam includes two hydroelectric plants with a combined capacity of 2,300 kilowatts.[2]
The reservoir can safely store 307,000 acre-feet (379,000,000 m3).The surface area of the reservoir is 7,507 acres (3,038 ha). Maximum discharge is 389,749 cubic feet (11,036.5 m3) per second.[3]
Water from the dam irrigates 145,000 acres (59,000 ha) of farmland.[1]
