By KRWG News
Las Cruces – The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation will begin releasing water Thursday from Elephant Butte Reservoir to prepare for irrigation season in southern New Mexico, West Texas and Mexico.
The bureau will release about 700 cubic feet per second of water from Elephant Butte Dam to flow into Caballo Reservoir 20 miles downstream for storage.
The water will be available for agricultural and other Rio Grande Project demands throughout the irrigation season.
The bureau expects releases from Elephant Butte to remain constant through about March 1, when they likely will be increased to approximately 1,400 cubic feet per second.
The start of irrigation season is set for March 2.
That's when the bureau will begin releases of about 770 cubic feet per second from Caballo Reservoir.
Copyright 2010 The Associated Press.