[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 106 (Friday, July 29, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1663]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    70TH ANNIVERSARY OF CONCHAS DAM

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. TOM UDALL

                             of new mexico

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 28, 2005

  Mr. UDALL of New Mexico. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 
70th anniversary of the construction of Conchas Dam, near Tucumcari in 
my home State of New Mexico. Built during the Depression under the 
Emergency Relief Act of 1935, the Conchas Dam project created jobs for 
thousands of New Mexicans and resulted in a structure that controls 
flooding, conserves water and provides irrigation to nearby farmlands. 
On July 29 the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will host an anniversary 
celebration and dedicate a plaque to the WPA workers who built the dam.
  Located on the confluence of the Canadian and Conchas rivers, the dam 
is 230 feet high, 6,230 feet long and contains 836,000 cubic yards of 
concrete and 887,000 cubic yards of earth. Reservoir capacity is nearly 
529,000 acre feet of water which covers almost 26 square miles and 
provides irrigation to some 42,000 acres of otherwise arid farmland. 
Water from Conchas Lake allows farmers to grow alfalfa hay, grain 
sorghum, cotton and broom corn, much of which is used to feed area 
livestock.
  Construction on Conchas Dam started in 1935 when unemployment in New 
Mexico was as high as 50 percent due to the Depression. The Emergency 
Relief Act dictated that 90 percent of the workers must come from the 
relief pool so thousands of New Mexicans found employment building the 
dam. Workers and their families lived in tent cities near the site. 
After completion of the dam in 1940, many of them stayed in the 
community of Conchas which was a tremendous boost for the local 
economy.
  Conchas Dam created the fourth-largest lake in New Mexico and one of 
the most popular water recreation sites in the state today. Conchas 
Lake features 60 miles of beautiful shoreline dotted with numerous 
coves, canyons and beaches. Tourists and locals alike enjoy fishing and 
boating on the reservoir and picnicking in the shadow of Conchas Dam.
  Mr. Speaker, Conchas Dam is a testament to the achievements of the 
Works Progress Administration and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and 
a monument to the laborers who built it. The construction of Conchas 
Dam was a tremendous economic boost to New Mexico in the 30s and its 
value to the State today is nearly inestimable.
  The 70th anniversary of the construction of Conchas Dam coincides 
with its inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places; a 
fitting time to reflect on the past and look to the future with the 
determination and fortitude of those men who built this great dam that 
we honor today.

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