Elephant Butte Dam

Elephant Butte Dam, main unit of the Rio Grande project of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation on the Rio Grande, SW N.Mex.; completed 1916. The dam, with its large reservoir, is used for flood control, hydroelectric power, and irrigation. The project was involved in a water-rights dispute between the United States and Mexico that was settled by a treaty in 1906.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2012, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

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