Riverside Diversion Dam
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| Riverside Diversion Dam | |
|---|---|
  Riverside Diversion Dam Location of Riverside Diversion Dam in Texas | |
| Country | United States |
| Location | El Paso, Texas |
| Coordinates | 31°39′29″N 106°19′49″W / 31.658151°N 106.330139°W |
| Purpose | Irrigation |
| Opening date | 1928 |
| Demolition date | 1987 |
| Owner | Bureau of Reclamation |
| Dam and spillways | |
| Type of dam | Diversion dam |
| Elevation at crest | 3,621 feet (1,104 m) |
| Width (crest) | 267 feet (81 m) |
The Riverside Diversion Dam (or simply the Riverside Dam) was a diversion dam on the Rio Grande to the southeast of El Paso, Texas. The dam was owned by the United States Bureau of Reclamation, and diverted water into the Riverside Canal for use in irrigation in the El Paso Valley.[1] The dam became obsolete with completion of a cement-lined canal carrying water from the upstream American Diversion Dam to the head of the canal. It was partially removed in 2003.[2]
The 21 May 1906 treaty between the United States and Mexico for "an equitable distribution of the waters of the Rio Grande" guaranteed Mexico up to 60,000 acre-feet (74,000,000 m3) annually, with the Americans taking the rest, except in time of drought when the shares would be reduced on a percentage basis. The Mexicans would withdraw their water from the Rio Grande at the Acequia Madre about 2 miles (3.2 km) downstream from the point where the river starts to form the international border.[3]
Riverside Diversion Dam was the lowermost dam of the Rio Grande Project, downstream from the Mexican dam. The dam, completed in 1928, was a concrete weir with radial gates, located on the Rio Grande about 15 miles (24 km) southeast of El Paso. It had a structural height of 17.5 feet (5.3 m) and a hydraulic height of 8 feet (2.4 m), with a weir crest length of 267 feet (81 m). The crest elevation was 3,621 feet (1,104 m) The spillway had six radial gates, each 16 by 8.17 feet (4.88 by 2.49 m), with an overflow weir for excess water.[4]
The dam could deliver 11,000 cubic feet per second (310 m3/s) downstream and could divert 900 cubic feet per second (25 m3/s) into the Riverside Canal headworks through 5 radial gates, each 16 by 6 feet (4.9 by 1.8 m).[4] On average the El Paso County diverted 194,387 acre-feet (239,773,000 m3) into the Riverside Diversion Dam / Riverside Canal each year between 1928 and 1998.[5]