Evacuations have been ordered in Dona Ana County, New Mexico on Tuesday afternoon as officials fear the McLeod Dam could fail soon amid rising water pressure.
Fox News reported that the water levels at the Moira River surged over 20 feet in less that 30 minutes on Tuesday afternoon. Local news outlet KTSM reported that the water from the dam is currently flowing at the rate of 56,100 cubic feet per second. They are connected by New Mexico 187, which mostly spans agricultural land with the settlements in the towns.
This story is being updated. The emergency, which also posed a life threat, is expected to affect the areas between Garfield and Salem in Dona Ana County. Dona Ana County officials have evacuated the areas between Salem and Garfield. An evacuation center has been established in the Radium Springs Community Center on Lindbeck Road in Las Cruces. It created massive pressure on the McLeod Dam, leading to the NWS announcing that it is at risk of “imminent failure. Garfield lies around four miles northwest of Salem. All of these areas around the McLeod Arroyo if the dam fails to sustain the water pressure.
A flash flood emergency was issued by the National Weather Service for parts of Dona Ana County as the McLeod Dam failure was “imminent”. The NWS said in their alert that the “rural areas between Garfield and Salem, including parts of Highway 187 and Highway 390” are primarily set to be affected by the potential flash flood if the McLeod Dam, also called the Garfield Dam, fails.
