Avalon Dam
Avalon Dam is a small dam on the Pecos River about north of Carlsbad, New Mexico, United States. The dam is a storage and regulating reservoir, and diverts water into the main canal of the Carlsbad Project, an irrigation scheme. Location The Pecos River, a major tributary of the Rio Grande, originates in the mountains near Santa Fe, New Mexico, then flows through the relatively flat southeastern New Mexico plains. Temperatures in the summer may be as high as . On average there is only of precipitation annually, but storms may bring torrential rainfall, creating flash floods. In the late 1880s, settlers were looking for new land to farm in the west, but irrigation was essential in the Pecos Valley. History The dam was originally built as an earthfill structure in 1888 by private interests. That dam was washed out in 1893. It was quickly rebuilt, but was washed out again in 1904 by the Pecos River flood of that year. In 1907 the United States Bureau of Reclamation rebuilt the dam. The height of the dam was raised in 1912, and again in 1936. Original dams A group of local ranchers that included Charles B. Eddy and Pat Garrett