Wall Lake Dam dam
Wall Lake Dam
Wall Lake Dam, also known as Taylor Creek Dam, is a private earth dam located in Catron County, New Mexico. Completed in 1949, the dam serves primarily as a fish and wildlife pond, with secondary purposes including fire protection, stock watering, and recreational use. Sitting on the Taylor Creek, the dam has a structural height of 40 feet and a hydraulic height of 18 feet, with a dam length of 500 feet and a storage capacity of 188 acre-feet.
Despite being classified as having a low hazard potential, Wall Lake Dam is in poor condition as of the last inspection in 2014. The dam features an uncontrolled spillway with a width of 200 feet, and a moderate risk assessment rating of 3. The dam is regulated, permitted, inspected, and enforced by the Office of the State Engineer in New Mexico. With its picturesque location and vital role in supporting the local ecosystem, Wall Lake Dam is an important structure for water resource and climate enthusiasts to monitor and advocate for maintenance and improvement efforts.
Dam data reference
Condition Assessment
- Satisfactory
- No existing or potential dam safety deficiencies are recognized. Acceptable performance is expected under all loading conditions (static, hydrologic, seismic) in accordance with the minimum applicable state or federal regulatory criteria or tolerable risk guidelines.
- Fair
- No existing dam safety deficiencies are recognized for normal operating conditions. Rare or extreme hydrologic and/or seismic events may result in a dam safety deficiency. Risk may be in the range to take further action.
- Poor
- A dam safety deficiency is recognized for normal operating conditions which may realistically occur. Remedial action is necessary. POOR may also be used when uncertainties exist as to critical analysis parameters which identify a potential dam safety deficiency.
- Unsatisfactory
- A dam safety deficiency is recognized that requires immediate or emergency remedial action for problem resolution.
- Not Rated
- The dam has not been inspected, is not under state or federal jurisdiction, or has been inspected but, for whatever reason, has not been rated.
Hazard Potential Classification
- High
- Dams assigned the high hazard potential classification are those where failure or mis-operation will probably cause loss of human life.
- Significant
- Dams assigned the significant hazard potential classification are those dams where failure or mis-operation results in no probable loss of human life but can cause economic loss, environmental damage, disruption of lifeline facilities, or impact other concerns. Significant hazard potential classification dams are often located in predominantly rural or agricultural areas but could be in areas with population and significant infrastructure.
- Low
- Dams assigned the low hazard potential classification are those where failure or mis-operation results in no probable loss of human life and low economic and/or environmental losses. Losses are principally limited to the owner's property.
- Undetermined
- Dams for which a downstream hazard potential has not been designated or is not provided.
Plan around the weather
Same NOAA / yr.no feed Snoflo's iOS app uses. Watch the precipitation column on the meteogram -- rain on the basin upstream typically lifts inflow 24-72 hours later.
Next 5 days, hour by hour
Temperature line with weather symbols on top, snow + rain accumulation as columns, humidity as a dotted line.
5-day forecast table
Every 3 hours, broken out across temperature, snow, rain, humidity, and wind. Each cell is colour-coded relative to the column min/max.
| Time | Condition | Temp (°F) | Snow (in) | Rain (in) | Humidity (%) | Wind (mps) | Wind dir |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loading detailed forecast… | |||||||
15-day temperature & precipitation
Daily temperatures, snow, and rain projected over the next two weeks.
Nearby streamflow gauges
USGS streamgauges around Wall Lake Dam -- inflows here typically show up in storage 24-72 hours later.
| Streamgauge | Discharge | View |
|---|---|---|
| Gila River Near Gila | 33 cfs | → |
| Mimbres River At Mimbres | 4 cfs | → |
| Mogollon Creek Near Cliff | 2 cfs | → |
| San Francisco River Near Glenwood | 17 cfs | → |
| San Francisco River Near Reserve | 3,350 cfs | → |
| Rio Grande Below Elephant Butte Dam | 514 cfs | → |
Make a day of it
Boat launches, lakeside camping, fishing access, and other reservoirs near Wall Lake Dam.
Campgrounds
- Wall Lake
- Bell Canyon Pit
- Wolf Hollow Campground
- Wolf Hollow
- Black Canyon Upper
- Black Canyon Campground - Upper
Paddle runs
- Headwaters To Aldo Leopold Wilderness Boundary
- Aldo Leopold Wilderness Boundary To Gila Wilderness Boundary
- Gila Wilderness Boundary To Confluence With East Fork Gila River
- Headwaters To Confluence With Diamond Creek
- Headwaters To Junction Of Trails 707/68 (Sec 35, T12s, R11w)
- Gila Wilderness Boundary (Below Snow Lake) To Gila Wilderness Boundary (Sec 24, T12s, R14w)
Track Wall Lake Dam in the Snoflo app
Save this dam as a favorite and get the local NOAA / yr.no forecast plus regional flow context wherever you are.
About Wall Lake Dam
Where does the data for Wall Lake Dam come from?
Structural and regulatory data come from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' National Inventory of Dams (NID). Weather forecast comes from NOAA / yr.no -- the same feed Snoflo's iOS app uses.
How often is the report updated?
NID structural data refreshes annually as the Corps publishes updated assessments. The weather forecast refreshes throughout the day.
What does the Low hazard rating mean?
The Corps of Engineers' hazard potential classification grades probable consequences if the dam fails: High = probable loss of human life; Significant = no probable loss of human life but possible economic loss / environmental damage; Low = no probable loss of human life, only minor economic / environmental losses. See the Dam Data Reference card above for the full definitions.
What's "% of normal"?
The current storage value compared to the historical average storage on this calendar day. 100% = right on average; values above 100% mean above-normal storage (wet year); values below mean below-normal (dry year or drought).
Can I get alerts when storage crosses a threshold?
Yes -- alerts are managed in the Snoflo iOS app. Favorite this dam, set a threshold, and you'll get a push the moment conditions cross.
Other water bodies near here
Snoflo-tracked reservoirs and dams within driving distance of Wall Lake Dam.