1976SRV190
Seaman
- Joined
- Jul 10, 2008
- Messages
- 69
I boat and camp about 20 time a year at Conchas Lake, outside Tucumcarri New Mexico. I use to go to Elephant Butte all the time but it got idiototic because of all the drunken lunitics on the lake, plus it is further away than Conchas from my house in the mountains.
I have been going to Conchas since 1999. In the last four years, it has steadily been declining in depth. They allow water to be taken out for irrigation and have not been getting the rain and snowpack to replentish it since about three years ago. This year it has rained all day every day up in the mountains outside the lake so it should get better, but.....
The lake has gone down so much, I am now very cautious about taking my boat out as much. In fact, I spend about 1/5th the time on the water I use to because of this. I have also noticed way less people at the lake in boats! Far less, ike 50% less over even the last three years. For example, We camped out at the beach on Memorial Day 2006, our camp on memorial Day weekend 2008 was 300ft from our old camp spot to be the same distance from the water! I couldn't beleive it when i noticed how far away we were from the old spot! I looked at the level mark on the rock dam, about 100ft of level.....in a little over 2 years! WOW!
I may have to choose a new lake, as it is getting dangerous on equipment (boats/outdirves) to boat here at Conchas! I even rapped my sterndrive to the point I had to replace the exhaust boot one time a month ago where the month before the place I grounded out was in 12feet of water!
I have been going to Conchas since 1999. In the last four years, it has steadily been declining in depth. They allow water to be taken out for irrigation and have not been getting the rain and snowpack to replentish it since about three years ago. This year it has rained all day every day up in the mountains outside the lake so it should get better, but.....
The lake has gone down so much, I am now very cautious about taking my boat out as much. In fact, I spend about 1/5th the time on the water I use to because of this. I have also noticed way less people at the lake in boats! Far less, ike 50% less over even the last three years. For example, We camped out at the beach on Memorial Day 2006, our camp on memorial Day weekend 2008 was 300ft from our old camp spot to be the same distance from the water! I couldn't beleive it when i noticed how far away we were from the old spot! I looked at the level mark on the rock dam, about 100ft of level.....in a little over 2 years! WOW!
I may have to choose a new lake, as it is getting dangerous on equipment (boats/outdirves) to boat here at Conchas! I even rapped my sterndrive to the point I had to replace the exhaust boot one time a month ago where the month before the place I grounded out was in 12feet of water!
