Water level rising at Elephant Butte

LAS CRUCES — Early-bird campers for the Memorial Day Weekend at Elephant Butte Lake State Park almost cooled more than their heels in the Southern New Mexico lake.

Kay Dunlap, park superintendent, said campers hoping to score a prime spot by parking their RVs at campsites earlier this week didn’t realize the lake water was rising quickly due to snow melt flowing down the Rio Grande. The water rose around some vehicles, reaching the tires but not swamping them. Park employees were able to contact campers to move their rigs. “They are not supposed to do that,” Dunlap said of the early parking job. “But we can’t cite people until they are contacted.”

The camper moved his vehicle to safety. Dunlap said she checked on the campsites Wednesday morning and all was well. She cautioned weekend revelers to be aware the lake, at 43.38 feet, is expected to continue rising until mid-June.

The lake level “is up about 13, 14 feet over last year,” Dunlap said. “Rattlesnake island is an actual island.”

The National Weather Service in El Paso reported on May 19 the lake was at its highest level since 2011 and continuing to rise. The lake is at 22.5 percent of capacity, compared to 14.7 percent last year.

Each Memorial Day, the lake and surrounding state park have a population approaching that of Las Cruces. Roughly 84,000 people came to the lake to celebrate the start of summer last year.