This dam is what SSCAFCA is all about: protecting the citizens and property and in this case, those downstream and particularly the Village of Corrales.
This dam creates a multi-purpose Watershed Park for citizens in Rio Rancho.
This Montoyas Arroyo is 13 miles long as the crow flies. It goes from the Rio Grande to Mariposa. It covers an area of over 50 square miles.
Historically, this very arroyo, washed out New Mexico 528 just to the east of us on July 8th & 9th, 1988. Properties along the arroyo all the way to the Rio Grande were flooded and damaged. The northern third of Corrales was under water. This flood event was the last straw and the community rose up and formed SSCAFCA.
The Engineers have designed this dam to take over 5000 cubic feet per second into this facility and release it in a controlled condition. Our emergency spillway can take over 100,000 cubic feet per second over it and still keep the dam intact.
Our designs were reviewed and approved by the Office of the State Engineer, the New Mexico Environment Department, United States Army Corps of Engineers and have received a 401 Water Quality certification and a 404 Permit for work in waters of the United States. When SSCAFCA builds it, we build it right the first time.
This dam can hold over 100 million gallons of storm water runoff in an area of 28 acres.
Funding for this 6 million dollar project came from $4 million SSCAFCA bonds with 400,000 dollars from our general fund. Over 1 million dollars was contributed by Pulte as well as putting in final landscaping and recreational features in and around this project.
The City of Rio Rancho provided easements to SSCAFCA for over 14 acres of land on which this project sits and is contributing over 250,000 dollars to pay for upgrading the sewer line that had to be moved to make this dam possible.