Rio San Jose
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Rio San Jose | |
|---|---|
 Aerial view from west of Albuquerque of the last few miles of the Rio San Jose (bottom right) as it merges with the Rio Puerco, which flows to the Rio Grande in the distance | |
 Map of the Rio Grande watershed, showing the Rio San Jose joining the Rio Puerco near Albuquerque | |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| State | New Mexico |
| County | Cibola, Valencia, Bernalillo |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Zuni Mountains |
| • location | Bluewater Village, Valencia County |
| • coordinates | 35°17′14″N 107°59′58″W / 35.28722°N 107.99944°W |
| • elevation | 6,651 ft (2,027 m) |
| Mouth | Rio Puerco |
• location | near Isleta Pueblo, Bernalillo County |
• coordinates | 34°52′50″N 107°01′40″W / 34.88056°N 107.02778°W[1] |
• elevation | 5,102 ft (1,555 m)[1] |
| Length | 90 mi (140 km)[2] |
| Basin size | 2,597 sq mi (6,730 km2)[3] |
The Rio San Jose is a 90-mile-long (145 km) tributary of the Rio Puerco in the U.S. state of New Mexico.
The Rio San Jose's farthest tributary stream is Bluewater Creek; its headwaters are in the Zuni Mountains, near the continental divide in Cibola County, with about 400 feet of the course in McKinley County. Bluewater Creek is dammed to form Bluewater Lake, with a capacity of 43,500 acre-feet (53,700,000 m3).[4] The Rio San Jose proper starts at the confluence of Bluewater Creek and Mitchell Draw near Bluewater Village. Entering Valencia County, it flows southeast, through Grants, then turning east near McCartys, flowing through the Acoma Indian Reservation and Laguna Pueblo. The remains of an ancient dam constructed by the Laguna people sometime between 1370–1750 AD is situated within Laguna Pueblo.[5] Below Mesita the river turns southeast again, flowing through a narrow canyon before joining the Rio Puerco in Bernalillo County.
The entire course of the river below Bluewater Creek is roughly paralleled by the BNSF Railway tracks (formerly the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad, built around 1882, later absorbed into the AT&SF). Between Bluewater Village and Mesita the river valley provides the route for old U.S. Route 66 and I-40.
