Facility Details - COCHITI AREA, NM - Recreation.gov COCHITI AREA, NM part of Cochiti Lake , US Army Corps of Engineers 192 Ratings Overview Cochiti Recreation Area is located in Sandoval County, New Mexico, within the boundaries of the Pueblo de Cochiti Indian Reservation. The lake offers two public recreation areas: Cochiti on the west side of the lake and Tetilla Peak on the east side. Both sides offer spectacular scenic views of the water and surrounding mountains. The Cochiti Dam is one of the ten largest earth-fill dams in the United States, and also one of the largest in the world. The lake derives its name from the Indian Pueblo on the Cochiti Reservation. Natural Features: Cochiti Lake is in a high desert environment, and the dominant vegetation is desert scrubland. There are many opportunities for wildlife viewing. Four osprey nesting platforms have been erected around the lake to provide nesting sites, as well as viewing opportunities. On the east side of the lake, deer, coyote and rabbit are often sighted. Recreation: Wind surfing is a favorite pastime for visitors.

The lake is also a popular fishing spot for species such as bass, crappie, walleye, catfish, sunfish and trout. Cochiti Recreation Area has a swim beach and playground for the convenience of families with children. Facilities: The campground consists of four loops. Juniper Loop campsites have electric hookups and some have water. Elk Run and Ringtail Loops are non-electric and have community water spigots. All sites in Buffalo Grove Loop have water and electric hookups. The Cochiti Recreation Area and boat ramp are open year-round and are accessed by a paved road. The ramp has four concrete lanes for loading and unloading. Nearby Attractions: Camping at COCHITI AREA, NM Overview Overview Cochiti Recreation Area is located in Sandoval County, New Mexico, within the boundaries of the Pueblo de Cochiti Indian Reservation. The lake offers two public recreation areas: Cochiti on the west side of the lake and Tetilla Peak on the east side. Both sides offer spectacular scenic views of the water and surrounding mountains. The Cochiti Dam is one of the ten largest earth-fill dams in the United States, and also one of the largest in the world.

The lake derives its name from the Indian Pueblo on the Cochiti Reservation. Natural Features: Cochiti Lake is in a high desert environment, and the dominant vegetation is desert scrubland. There are many opportunities for wildlife viewing. Four osprey nesting platforms have been erected around the lake to provide nesting sites, as well as viewing opportunities. On the east side of the lake, deer, coyote and rabbit are often sighted. Recreation: Wind surfing is a favorite pastime for visitors. The lake is also a popular fishing spot for species such as bass, crappie, walleye, catfish, sunfish and trout. Cochiti Recreation Area has a swim beach and playground for the convenience of families with children. Facilities: The campground consists of four loops. Juniper Loop campsites have electric hookups and some have water. Elk Run and Ringtail Loops are non-electric and have community water spigots. All sites in Buffalo Grove Loop have water and electric hookups. The Cochiti Recreation Area and boat ramp are open year-round and are accessed by a paved road. The ramp has four concrete lanes for loading and unloading.

Nearby Attractions: Cochiti Lake is five miles from Tent Rocks National Monument, which has fascinating geological formations. Booking Window Wed Jan 18 2017 - Fri Jul 14 2017 Reservations must be made 4 Day(s) ahead of arrival and can be made up to 6 Month(s) in advance. Season Dates Cochiti Lake - Pueblo de Cochiti, New Mexico Cochiti Lake Search Cochiti Lake Cochiti Lake is located within the boundaries of the Pueblo de Cochiti Reservation on the Rio Grande about fifty miles upstream from Albuquerque. Cochiti is one of the four units for flood and sediment control on the Rio Grande, operating in conjunction with Galisteo, Jemez Canyon and Abiquiu Dams. Cochiti Dam is one of the ten largest earthfill dams in the United States, containing more than 65,000,000 cubic yards of earth and rock. It rises 251 feet above the Rio Grande streambed and stretches out more than five miles to impound waters of the Rio Grande and the Santa Fe Rivers. Its control tower is 260 feet above the streambed, the equivalent of a 20 story building.

A 474-foot bridge connects the tower to the dam's main embankment. Originally Cochiti was authorized only for flood and sediment control. However, officials of the state of New Mexico and counties surrounding the site expressed interest in a permanent pool for fish and wildlife enhancement and other recreational purposes. Congress then modified its authorization for Cochiti Lake to include a 1,200 surface acre lake for recreation. Water for this lake is imported from the Colorado River Basin to the Rio Grande Basin via the San Juan Diversion Project across the Continental Divide. Construction of Cochiti Lake began in 1965; the main embankment was completed in 1975; and the lake opened to the public in July, 1975. In 1976, the Cochiti Recreation area on the west side of the lake was opened to the public. Another recreation area, Tetilla Peak, on the east side of the lake was opened to the public in 1983. A visitor's center on the west side of the lake, adjacent to the operations building is available to the public.

Recreational facilities include campsites, electrical hookups, picnic sites, group shelters, restrooms/showers, drinking water, dump stations, universally accessible fishing area, and boat launching ramps. The Pueblo de Cochiti operates and maintains a small marina. Cochiti Lake is an all Federal project constructed at a cost of $94.4 million. The project controls water form an 11,695 square- mile drainage area. BECKY MINER, OPERATIONS MANAGER U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS COCHITI LAKE PROJECT OFFICE PENA BLANCA, NEW MEXICO 87041-5015 PHONE: (505) 465-0307 FAX: (505) 465-0316 The Cochiti Dam and Reservoir has had and will have a long standing history with the Pueblo de Cochiti past, present, and future members.

From the early interactions with the Federal Government in the early 1960's, the objections of the Pueblo against construction, the establishment and implementation of the Condemnation Act, the construction of the Dam and Reservoir, the structure testing that led to inundation of the Pueblo's agricultural lands, a twenty year loss of farming and way of life, the lawsuit filed by the Pueblo as a result of the inundation, the victory in the lawsuit, the establishment of a drainage system by the Corps of Engineers (COE), the longstanding up and down relationship of the Pueblo and the COE, the reconciliation activities and public apology of the COE to the Pueblo de Cochiti in 2001, and the current cooperative efforts between the pueblo and the COE to characterize the reservoir on various aspects, and to help management of the dam and reservoir for the long term. Baseline Study Project Description The US Army Corps of Engineers, Albuquerque District and the Pueblo de Cochiti propose to conduct an array of studies intended to characterize the interactions of Cochiti Dam and Lake with Tribal resources.

The proposed studies, developed in consultation between the Corps and the Pueblo, will provide a baseline against which the impacts of any future operational changes at the lake may be evaluated. The proposed studies include: Existing data archive GIS support, tools, and analysis Lake bottom survey Economic impact analysis Project Background Cochiti Dam and Lake is located on the Rio Grande mainstream approximately 50 miles north of Albuquerque, New Mexico. Construction and operation of Cochiti Dam and Lake is authorized by PL 86-645, PL 534 as amended, Senate Document No. 97, and PL 88-293. The facility regulates Rio Grande flows for flood damage reduction and sediment management. The majority of lands associated with Cochiti Dam and Lake are held in trust by the United States for the beneficial owners, the Pueblo de Cochiti, a federally recognized Native American Tribe. Operations at Cochiti Dam and Lake have become crucial to addressing regional water management and environmental issues. In recent Congressional testimony the Pueblo has pointed out that, although a significant amount of ecosystem research has been conducted in the area, little comprehensive synthesis has occurred especially as the Dam’s operations impact Tribal resources.

As a result of its Native American Trust responsibilities, the Corps is required to protect Cochiti natural and cultural assets. Any such activities must be performed in cooperation with the Pueblo de Cochiti per Executive Order and Governmental policy (E.R. 1130-2-500, 530, 540; USACE, CECW-A, Policy Guidance Letter 57, 1998; ER 1105-2-100; Title 25: Chapter 14: II: 450a). A dam’s ‘painful’ history – New Mexico In Depth Laura Paskus/New Mexico In Depth The Rio Grande with Cochiti Dam rising above it on the Cochiti reservation in New Mexico. Driving back from Santa Fe recently, I took the long way home. Frequently, I write about water and drought, and it’s helpful to actually look at the Rio Grande and its reservoirs on a regular basis. Pulling off I-25, I headed toward the Pueblo of Cochiti . As I crossed the Rio Grande, the view ahead yielded an enormous dam rising alongside the road.

Cochiti Dam is one of the 10 largest earthen dams in the United States. It contains more than 65 million cubic feet of earth and rock, stretches more than five miles across, and rises about 250 feet above the Rio Grande. Driving past the dam on my way to check out the reservoir’s waters I was reminded of a talk the Pueblo of Cochiti’s Regis Pecos gave a few years ago. Learn more: Read Regis Pecos’ talk on the creation of Cochiti Dam here . (That talk was reprinted in the University of New Mexico School of Law’s Natural Resources Journal in 2007. And in the interest of full disclosure, I should say that I’ve written about water for the Utton Center , the center that hosted his talk.) Caught up in the fray of drought and the politics of water — managers today have to balance the needs of cities, farmers and endangered species that depend on the river’s water — it’s convenient to overlook how the current system irrevocably changed the relationship Native communities had with the Rio Grande.

Cochiti is just one of the tribes in the Middle Rio Grande that has been affected by more than a century of federal dam-building and river-tinkering. But nowhere in the valley does there stand such a stark reminder of how federal water policy and Native communities are intertwined. As Pecos stated: “Construction of Cochiti Lake is not a single, isolated issue. It was complicated by a number of other circumstances, which all converged and culminated in ways that were just incredibly devastating and in the most tragic way led to our fight for survival.” Congress authorized construction of the dam as part of the Flood Control Act of 1960 , and over opposition from many tribal members, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built Cochiti Reservoir between 1965 and 1975. The lake inundated sacred lands as well as fields the tribe had tended for centuries. From Pecos: “As issues of resistance were met with the threat of condemnation, the elders conceded to the construction of Cochiti Lake but pleaded that if it was going to happen that a single request be adhered to.

The one request was that, if no other areas could be protected, the only place that we wanted protected was an area very important to many pueblo people, one of the most revered places of worship.” But, as Pecos recounted: “As the elders conceded and succumbed to the incredible political pressure of condemnation of the land and construction of the lake, it was painful to see the elders, members of our community, full of emotion, full of tears, and reflections of a sense of helplessness in their eyes and faces. They spoke with a deep sense of hurt that they had failed as the stewards and the protectors of this incredible, beautiful, and sacred place to our pueblo people. It was the heart of what gave meaning to our lives. It was very painful for me to witness this helplessness. All my life I had seen these same men with a sense of wisdom and vision, strong spirited, always acting with a sense of certainty and assuredness. Now they were reduced to this helplessness. I had never witnessed such hopelessness. It was frightening. The future seemed uncertain.

This was one of the most tragic episodes in recent history for the people of Cochiti.” The dam is an engineering marvel, and one that helps control any floodwaters and sediment that might tear down the Rio Grande. It’s also used for recreation and to store water for endangered fish living downstream. But it also looms — and I mean looms — above the Cochiti reservation. Construction of the dam and inundation of the lake had a profound impact on those living at Cochiti, Pecos said: “Everyday, on my way to school, we saw the earth ravaged by bulldozers. Every night we would see the lights equal to several football fields lit up and would hear the trucks make the funny beeping sounds. We went to sleep hearing the destruction of our heartlands. We would wake up to this for more days and weeks and months than I care to remember. In retrospect, I represent the generation who may have been the last to have grown up alongside of our grandfathers, grandmothers, and our parents working the land while learning about our way of life in that kind of traditional agricultural community.

To see those places where we had played, the places that had nurtured us through all of our life experiences to that point, destroyed was traumatic. When the gates closed, we watched the remainder of the available agricultural lands become flooded by the seepage from Cochiti Lake.” In tandem with the dam’s construction, developers envisioned a privately owned, 400,000-person town smack inside the reservation, which was considered close enough to Santa Fe, Los Alamos and Albuquerque to draw visitors and second-home buyers. According to Pecos, that proposal tore apart the community and created a “new set of dynamics that would break from the past unified stronghold to resistance:” “It became a classic example of external interests using those internally to break down resistance. This form of exploitation came at great cost culturally, socially, politically, and economically to a small undeveloped and underdeveloped tribal community. Without a clearly articulated vision, the proposed development tore apart our once tightly knit village. It caused a great deal of divisiveness that no economic development benefit could ever make up for. This all led up to the classic story about brother against brother, brother against sister, and father against grandfather. It was a very painful part of our experience.

I can remember discussions between my father and my grandfather about what was to happen to our little community of less than 1,000 people. And I imagine that in every other home similar discussions were taking place with respect to resisting the development and construction of the reservoir to be known as Cochiti Lake and those advocating for the development producing incredible pain internally in our community.” The tribe was able to block the development plans. In the 1980s, it acquired the town and in the 1990s it created the Cochiti Community Development Corporation. According to the town’s website , it today hosts about 400 residents. In recent decades, the Army Corps of Engineers and the tribal government have come to terms with their shared history over the dam, and are trying to understand more about the impacts the dam has had on the pueblo. Another transition The day I visited, flashing thunderheads built north of the lake. A few boats headed toward the shore. Perhaps it was just the coming storm affecting my mood. But this place felt as though it’s experiencing yet another transition. New Mexico is in its third year of drought and the Rio Grande’s flows are low. Debris laps against the shore and the lake is muddy with sediment.

Stripped of stable vegetation, the burn scars from fires to the north — including the Las Conchas fire two years ago — can’t hold the topsoil down. Summer monsoons are cause for celebration. But the heavy rains slalom mud down the slopes; the sediment clogs canyons that drain into the Rio Grande and the reservoir. History is always shifting; this time, the climate is changing, too. By writing this, I’m not trying to dredge up bad feelings or painful histories. But those of us downstream should know something of the history held behind that earthen wall. ___________________________________________________________________ Cochiti Dam & Lake Tweets by @twitterapi Welcome to Cochiti Lake Recreation Area Cochiti Lake is a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers managed lake located in Sandoval County, New Mexico and within the boundaries of the Pueblo de Cochiti Nation on the Rio Grande about 50 miles upstream from Albuquerque. Cochiti Dam is one of the four Corps of Engineers projects for flood and sediment control on the Rio Grande, operating in conjunction with Abiquiu, Galisteo and Jemez Canyon Dams.

Cochiti Lake offers two public recreation areas for your enjoyment: the Cochiti Recreation Area on the west side of the lake and the Tetilla Peak Recreation on the east side. Each recreation area has a boat ramp for launching vessels. A visitor center is open to the public near the Park Headquarters. Scenic overlooks are on both sides of the lake. Tetilla Peak Recreation Area is open April - October while Cochiti is opened year-round. Cochiti Lake is a No-Wake lake. Please be aware that all areas outside of the two recreation areas are lands owned by the Cochiti Pueblo and are not open to the public. Stopping the Flood of Damages from Cochiti Dam | Cultural Survival Cultural Survival Quarterly Magazine Stopping the Flood of Damages from Cochiti Dam The 1,000 members of the Cochiti Pueblo, New Mexico, have always welcomed those visitors who respectfully observe the corn and buffalo dances. The US Army Corps of Engineers, however, is a guest who controls and sometimes floods up to 11,000 acres of the 50,000-acre reservation behind Cochiti Dam. Although the Cochiti Pueblo has legal protection as a federally recognized tribe, it is fighting for its survival.

The pueblo had bitterly resigned itself to powerlessness until the dam flooded the farmland below. Since World War II, pueblo members have combined the old life of farming with the new one of off-reservation employment. Farming is still central to the continuing cycle of songs and dances that holds the community together. Less than 20 years ago, most of the 19 Indian pueblos of New Mexico, so named by the Spanish explorers 400 years ago for their village and farming lifestyle, were conducting business with the federal government out of a kitchen cabinet in the home of the annually appointed governor. Today, the Pueblo de Cochiti is negotiating with a most unresponsive US government agency, the US Army Corps of Engineers (COE), in an effort to reclaim its land and culture from the troublesome Cochiti dam and lake. The pueblo first filed a report of damages to farmland from a rising water table in 1976, one year after the dam was completed. The COE installed an ineffective 17-acre drainage system several years later.

Not until 1988, more than two years after the pueblo filed a lawsuit for what was then about 300 acres of damage, did the engineers fully admit the dam was causing the problem. Technical studies commissioned by the COE state that all earth fill dams "leak" and that seepage was always expected at Cochiti due to the variable soils beneath the dam. As the water pressure behind the dam has increased with record annual levels of water storage, what was once a high water table has become standing pools of water. In 1987, New Mexico State University professors documented that 550 of the 800 acres of tribal irrigated farmland were so flooded that farming is now impossible. The pueblo's engineering consultants reported in 1988 that 615 acres of farmland and 250 acres of bosque are waterlogged. The seepage continues to spread. Under congressional mandate, the first negotiations with the COE to settle the lawsuit were scheduled for March 1988. To appreciate the sophistication being required of this people to get what they want from the negotiations requires an understanding of the history of this project and interests it serves.

The Cochiti Dam dispute is a classic drama of tribal rights versus national interests-of the national definition of resource economics against the congressionally protected right of a tribe to maintain its religion and way of life. History The dam was first considered in a river basin study conducted in the 1930s. Site surveys were performed in the 1950s and Cochiti was selected. When the first plan was presented to the pueblo in 1959, the COE said it needed title to 2,600 acres of tribal land, land that the pueblo did not want to surrender. A 1965 letter from the COE to the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) threatened condemnation proceedings if the pueblo did not grant a perpetual easement to 4,671 acres in return for a flat fee of $153,350. The 1965 easement was for 4,070 acres, for which the pueblo was paid $145,200-about $12.50 per acre.

The COE also obtained a 7,304-acre free flowage easement from the neighboring US Forest Service - land later returned to the pueblo by a 1984 act of Congress for which the COE pays no fee. The forest service land and 304 acres of tribal land were to be open to recreation. Flowage easements extend up the canyon to include Cochiti's ancestral land, which is now managed by the Bandelier National Monument and the Los Alamos National Laboratories. The pueblo, along with downstream pueblos and Spanish neighbors, is located in a triangle of growing national energy and recreational interests located at Los Alamos, Albuquerque and Santa Fe, New Mexico. Recent proposals for hydroelectric development at the dam are due to this location and to a 1978 federal law that encourages hydroelectric development at federally operated dams. Pueblo council member Ivan Lewis, who was a tribal officer in 1965 when the pueblo signed an agreement with the COE giving it an easement for the construction and operation of Cochiti Dam, recently told Senate Select Committee on Indian Affairs Chairman Senator Daniel K.

Inouye (D-HI), "I've been living here for over 45 years...We didn't have no choice. We fought for our rights. Back in the 1930s, I had some idea of why the survey was going on. In those years we didn't have no voting voice. We never wanted to give-up our rights. After 40 years our lifeline has been broken." Completed in 1975, Cochiti Dam is one of the longest earth-filled dams in the world. It stretches across the Rio Grande and five miles of the pueblo's reservation, 50 miles north of Albuquerque. Construction of the dam, in which a steep canyon joins the agricultural flood plain, was authorized for flood control and sediment control in the 1960 Flood Control Act (PL-86-645). According to Bureau of Indian Affairs records, Albuquerque Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District wanted a flood control facility to stem spring floods and promote the efforts to provide drainage in the valley.

Additional pressure resulted in a second 1964 act (PL 88-293) adding recreation to the purpose of the dam and providing for a minimum lake area of 1,200 surface acres. The corps has the right to submerge up to about 11,000 acres of tribal land providing that the flood waters are released by 31 March of each year. New Mexico has experienced a decade of heavy mountain snowfall, resulting in record levels of water storage behind Cochiti Dam each year. Maximum capacity was almost used in 1987. There are other dams along the Rio Grande, but they are more strictly monitored by public interest groups than is Cochiti. New Mexico hates to let water run to Texas, according to the COE; extra water, therefore, ends up in Cochiti Lake. In the authorizing legislation, the tri-state Rio Grande Compact was given approval authority for lake releases. Although Cochiti Dam is not an agricultural dam, a 1986 university-sponsored conference on Rio Grande water management made it clear that the compact attempts to store extra water for farming at Cochiti.

The complexity of water management cannot be covered in this article except to point out the fact that Cochiti Pueblo's concerns do not receive priority and that the storage of water behind Cochiti Dam adds to the problem of flooded farmland below the dam. Public Interest vs. Pueblo Interest The arguments for the construction of Cochiti Dam were the same as for most national water resource development projects throughout the world enhancement of agriculture, recreation and wildlife; economic development for the region; and protection of life and property from seasonal floods. Plans presented to the pueblo ultimately obtained approval, although the older council members who made this decision say they did not understand the immensity of these plans nor their own choices. Between the time that the dam was authorized and the time it was completed, the development plan had grown to include an entire retirement city. The scenic canyons combined with a lake close to urban centers were the basis of Bureau of Indian Affairs and Corps of Engineers master plans. In 1969 the pueblo signed a 99-year lease with Great Western Cities, Inc. for the development of 6,500 acres of property into a recreational city of 50,000 persons, including recreational facilities such as a golf course and marina.

In 1985, the corporation declared bankruptcy and a pueblo-owned corporation is now managing what remains, a town of about 300 residents. An environmental impact statement was not prepared for Cochiti dam and lake until 1974, one year before the dam was completed. The statement did not mention the known fact that seepage would occur. The COE stated that urban development would have an impact but left the assessment responsibility to the BIA, which passed it back to the COE. The less than 100-page statement did predict several impacts which have since occurred: 1. Flooding of hundreds of archeological sites, ancestral villages of the Cochitis. 2. The "bathtub ring" of dead vegetation and soil erosion occurring around the edges of the vacillating sized lake; sloughing of river banks. 3. Destruction of plant and wildlife habitats due to construction and the large number of visitors to the public use areas and the 6,500-acre urban lease. Trespassing on sacred sites was predicted as a problem.

The environmental impact statement proposed no actions for mitigating these impacts; instead, it stressed that the values of recreation, wildlife and wetland enhancement and the protection of the flood plain outweighed any negative impacts. It also stated that no alternatives should be considered because the dam was already under construction. It is clear from BIA records that the BIA and the COE assumed that what was good for national water resource development and private recreational development should also be good for Cochiti Pueblo. A 1965 memorandum of agreement gave the COE the right to use the 4,070-acre easement as it needed. It returned to the pueblo the right to manage the 304-acre public use area within the easement, provided it followed all COE guidelines. A 1975 amendment provided for the pueblo to assign management to the developers of the urban area, but the pueblo remained responsible to the COE. The stated assumption within the master plan was that the mere attraction of visitors and residents to the lake would build the pueblo economy and, therefore, the pueblo did not need to be compensated for the continued presence of the facility on its reservation. Social impact statements were not common in 1974.

Studies by the state of New Mexico Department of Natural Resources show that communities that benefit from such water resource development projects are those that already have a strong retail sector. Rural communities, on the other hand, suffer increased crime rates and other problems, with no way to afford police departments and other consequences of growth. Cochiti was not prepared for the one million annual visitors to Cochiti Lake; and the COE takes no responsibility for restricting these visitors to easement land. The pueblo officials feel overrun, unable to benefit from the dam. The pueblo receives no revenues to pay for policing its land and repairing the fences cut by trespassers. The cultural impacts of development are difficult to list. Council member Willie Martin simply says, "This is really getting to our heart. When I go to the fields I have tears in my eyes. The last time I went down there, my tractor went down in the mud to the axle; and I haven't been back." Cochiti people are taught to give to and protect the land so that they in turn will be protected. They are now powerless to fulfill a sacred responsibility, and without farming have no way to teach this responsibility to their children.

The dam has cut the pueblo off from the canyon where its ancestors lived, and has destroyed and flooded shrines. Not all the land was farmed at the time the seepage began; but the dam has torn the fabric of the community from the loom, so to speak. The council's efforts to obtain economic benefits for the pueblo members have decreased as cultural threats have grown. By the time the seepage lawsuit was filed in 1985, the pueblo had turned the management of the recreational areas back to the COE. The pueblo, then staffed with only an appointed governor, his lieutenant, a paid secretary, an administrator and an accountant, did not have the management structure necessary to capitalize on the one million visitors to the lake nor to pressure the COE to prevent environmental damages above the dam. The tribal council, comprised of previous officers, has turned its attention almost solely to restoration of the farmland and the safety of the dam. During a September 1987 presentation to the COE representatives.

Senator Inouye summarized the problem: "The dam was not requested by the pueblo, and it has no benefits to it...The US Government has a responsibility to these people." The Challenge for Tribal Government Until the pueblo obtained the support of Inouye and other members of Congress, the national office of the COE had given the pueblo only two choices: (1) drop the lawsuit and trust us to study the problem, or (2) fight us and we will continue to challenge the right of a local community to sue the federal government for a project deemed to be in the national interest of flood control. The lawsuit is not enough. The Pueblo de Cochiti has to become a sophisticated strategist of a team of politicians, professionals and attorneys in order to stand a chance of reclaiming its farmland. The seepage problems are documented, but the broader environmental impacts have not yet been addressed with the COE. Although the COE and the pueblo discussed the problem of waterlogged farmland in 1984, the pueblo filed a lawsuit to force the issue before the statute of limitations expired. The lawsuit claims monetary damages; the pueblo, however, has told its attorney and the US Department of Justice attorney assigned to the case.

Ray Hamilton, that it does not want only money. It wants the COE to assume responsibility for protecting and restoring its farmland for the same perpetuity that the COE was granted in its easement for operating the dam. The pueblo wants replacement land for those lands that cannot be restored. The 4,070-acre easement did not include any of the farmlands below the dam. The courts and the COE have taken more than three years to agree that the pueblo has a valid complaint and to set a date for the first negotiations. To get this far required the skeleton staff to coordinate the efforts of Congress, the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the attorneys and technical consultants. The Albuquerque District COE has tried to work with the tribe but is dependent on the approval of Dallas and national headquarters. When the lawsuit was filed the Department of Justice took over and the Washington office of the COE refused to spend $176,000 of congressionally appropriated funds for a feasibility study for draining the land unless the lawsuit was dropped. Using the assistance of the press, the congressional delegation and a tribal member experienced in national politics, the pueblo was able to designate COE appropriations for the feasibility study.

The BIA provided funds for the tribe to hire its own hydrologist and informed the COE of its national trust responsibility. Fixing the Seepage Problem The COE's feasibility study recommends eliminating several proposed drainage alternatives on the grounds that they are not economically feasible - that is, the costs to repair exceed the benefits. The COE's normal operating procedure is to buy affected land. A second option it has used with other Indian reservations is to pay for market value for an additional easement giving it the right to flood the land. Recently the Tohono O'Odham (Papago) tribe was awarded $10 million in damages for flooding of their lands, but they did not regain those lands. The pueblo's village and history are tied to the land - easements and sales are out of the question. The pueblo wants the unprecedented: for land that has a high sacred but low market value, it wants the government to invest money to drain, reclaim and maintain it - defying the standard government cost-benefit analysis. The tribal council also wants a voice on the Rio Grande Compact Commission to decide when and how much water is stored behind the dam.

The COE draft 1987 Reconnaissance Study and the tribe's study by Keller and Bliesner Engineers show there is no permanent guarantee for stopping the rising water table other than draining the lake. At a cost of between $4 million and $5 million, a combination of drainage systems and other measures could lower the water table to perhaps three feet below the surface, sufficient for farming some of the land. According to the COE study, the maintenance costs would exceed $35,000 per year, and the dam is expected to be in operation for 50 to 90 more years. Southwest Research and Development Company, at the New Mexico State University, estimated crop losses and damages through 1991 at $2.6 million. Although the land is irreplaceable to the pueblo and contains several shrines, the market value against the cost of reclamation would not result in a positive figure. The painful tradeoff between cultural survival and economic survival arises in another way. The Bureau of Indian Affairs has suggested that the pueblo try to capitalize on hydroelectric development as a way to pay for maintaining a drainage system.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), despite the objection of the pueblo, recently granted a permit to a Colorado company to study the feasibility of installing a plant at the dam outlet - also a site of a fishing and a proposed bald eagle preserve. The company has asked the tribe to consider joint ownership. One of the difficulties is that the outlet structure has already cut through a rock sacred to such pueblos as far away as Hopi in Arizona. And with the problems the pueblo already faces the mood of the council is not to add more development with its unexpected impacts. Southwest Research and Development Company has advised that new land might be developed for farming at a cost of $5.3 million; but the pueblo would want both replacement land for farming and some restoration of the old land for visiting sacred sites and farms. During initial exploratory meetings, Department of Justice Attorney Ray Hamilton suggested a lump sum payment might be arranged with which the pueblo could install its own system or develop new farmland. Congress is also considering legislation that would provide funds to the COE to install one of the recommended drainage systems. Either alternative leaves the tribe with the responsibility of maintaining a system connected to a federal dam that is operated without its control.

Political and press support has been essential for the pueblo at every step. During his visit to the pueblo in September 1987 to meet with the council and representatives of the COE and the Department of Justice, Senator Inouye reminded his audience that he is on the public works committee that funds the operation: "If the dam affects the pueblo's well being and livelihood into the future generations, then I think that the US Government should do something about it." In reference to the COE's insistence that the lawsuit should first be dropped, he said, "My position is that if the suit is withdrawn and negotiations fail then the Indians are sucking hind tit." New Mexico's congressional delegation supports the pueblo, but they also represent the interests of Albuquerque and downstream farmers who want water stored at Cochiti. Also, the national political environment is one of reduced, not increased, spending. Ironically, the COE has said that if it takes action, federal policy of protecting wetlands might come before protection of farmland. It suggested designating 350 acres of waterlogged farmland as a wetland and eagle resting area, implying that the federal government would rather protect the eagles than the people who worship them.

Although the COE asked Congress not to proceed with oversight hearings to be held by the Senate Select Committee on Indian Affairs and the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, the pueblo testified in March 1988. Tribal member Regis Pecos commented, "The COE thinks we should put down our weapons and come to the table, but the COE cannot obligate funds to fix the problem with congressional support - even a cash settlement has to come from Congress." He hopes by establishing a congressional record, a settlement can be "packaged" that would provide for some land to be rehabilitated, other replacement land to be developed and monies provided to maintain a system. The pueblo gains, loses and then gains ground. Last fall, council member Romero expressed frustration when he said, "I came back to the pueblo the year that the gates closed. There is no say for the pueblo in the decisions of the Rio Grande Compact, FERC, and the Corps." Presently the pueblo has the upper hand, at the cost of draining its administrative and financial reserves and postponing many other community needs. Conclusions A fundamental difference of value and responsibility exists between the pueblo and the federal government.

Congress has the dual responsibility of cutting the budget and answering to all US citizens while maintaining a trust responsibility toward Indian tribes. On paper, this trust responsibility extends through agencies of the federal government, including COE. In practice, national water resource development projects have been approved based on a vague notion of national interest, sited where the political opposition is the least. The pueblo has a real responsibility to its place, ancestors and future generations - a cultural responsibility so strong that the present existence of the dam means to some that they are no longer blessed and protected. The political and legal process within which the tribe must state its case weighs alternatives based on costs and benefits, not on spiritual absolutes. The dam stretches an irreversible shadow across the land. For the pueblo village located below the dam, the dam is a black shadow that divides its view from the canyon and mesa homes of the ancestors and spirits, and grows with the seepage that has ruined more than 600 acres of historically cultivated farmland. It marks the increasingly muddled separation between the lakeside urban development and playground located above the dam and the traditional village life below. The road below the dam carries Cochitis to their urban jobs; the road across the top of the dam carries in boaters and fishermen.

The dam divides this historically consensus-minded village into two camps - those who suggest taking advantage of the development opportunities offered by visitors and the possibilities of hydroelectric development and those who believe any compromise for benefits is treason to the life that has always sustained them. However, all agree the land must be restored and the village protected. The dam marks the dichotomy between a hypothetical national interest that drives US water resource development policy and a local intimacy with the land and water cultured over hundreds of years. The dam symbolizes everything lost; the lawsuit symbolizes everything to be continued. In this atmosphere comes the effort to take a stand in negotiations with the Corps of Engineers. Support for a solution to the seepage should be addressed to: E.R. Heiberg, III, Lieutenant General, US Army, Chief of Engineers, Department of the Army, Washington, DC 20314 or US Senator Daniel K. Inouye, Chairman, Senate Select Committee on Indian Affairs, 838 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington, DC 20510-6450, attn: Alan Parker. Article copyright Cultural Survival, Inc.

CSQ Issue: EMNRD State Parks Division Cochiti Lake Description: Cochiti Lake is located in Sandoval County, New Mexico and within the boundaries of the Pueblo de Cochiti Nation on the Rio Grande about 50 miles upstream from Albuquerque. Popular lake for daysailing, quiet fishing, kayaking and windsurfing. At high water the Rio Grande becomes boatablewith shallow craft up to Sanchez Canyon. Motorboats at idle speed "no wake" operation only. Paddleboat operators running the White Rock Canyon-Rio Grande Class II-III stretch from Los Alamos/Santa Fe to Cochiti Lake sometime make arrangements first with a boater at Cochiti before running the river in order to avoid the flatwater paddle of the lake once reaching the lake. Cochiti Lake offers two public recreation areas ; the Cochiti Recreation Area on the west side of the lake and the Tetilla Peak Recreation on the east side. The west side of the lake is seeing a substantial change with a new campground being readied for late 2009. A mast step-up facility was added in 2008 for the west side of the lake. Each recreation area has a boat ramp for launching vessels.

The west side visitor center is open to the public near the Park Headquarters. Scenic overlooks are on both sides of the lake. The Pueblo de Cochiti operated and maintained a small marina (not open currently) on the Cochiti side of the lake. This marina is now entirely gone and replacement is questionable at this time though dry storage at the Cochiti Lake store is still available. Tetilla is only open from April to October. Please be aware that all areas outside of the two recreation areas are lands owned by the Cochiti Pueblo and are not open to the public. Directions: About 60 miles NE of Albuquerque From Albuquerque take I-25 north from Albuquerque, NM to the 259 exit, west on NM 22 through Peña Blanca to the Project Office. From Santa Fe, NM to the 264 exit, west on NM 16 and then right at the stop sign at NM 22, then up to the Project Office. Map: Downloadable Map Lake Map pdf Water Sports: Fishing, paddlesports, Sailing (mast tip up facility on site), Windsurfing, and swimming.

Rio Grande Paddling: At this point the Pueblo does not allow non-official non-Pueblo member access to their land or Rio Grande river bank in unless otherwise approved. Cultural change from the dam was not welcomed by the Pueblo and the Council as of 2009 are not welcoming of cultural tourism and river floating. Above the Dam:The USACE has secured public access to much of that property so there has been navigation from the Buckman or Otowi bridge areas down to Cochiti reservoir . The Corps, Pueblo, NPS and Forest Service do not allow camping on the banks of any of that stretch. Los Alamos has a stretch that is suitable on the west bank and BLM has primitive sites used on the east bank. Below the Dam: There are no public access points to the river below or downstream of the dam (even near Army Corps facilities). So the stretch of river on Cochiti land below the dam is inaccessible and therefore no river navigation theoretically should occur. Department of Natural Resources & Conservation, Pueblo de Cochiti (505) 465-3123 voice (505) 465-1997 fax One at Tetilla Peak Recreation Site Concrete two lane.

One at the Main Recreation Area Concrete four lane. Docks: 2, One at each area. Marinas: Cochiti Marina. One quiet area popular with day sailors. Currently not operational by the Cochiti Pueblo. Check with them for reopening. Cochiti Pueblo Lands - Cochiti Lake Recreation (505) 465-2244. In the meanwhile a group of boaters there have gotten together and formed a non-profit called Boat Owners of Cochiti. This group may work to reopen the marina with public support. There is also a dry dock facility outside of the park behind the Cochiti Town Store and Gas Station. The dry dock storage is run by a Cochiti Pueblo Corporation CCDC (Cochiti Community Development Corporation). They can be reached at 465-2219. Wind Warning Lights 2 Prevailing Winds: Current wind conditions: Cochiti Lake, New Mexico (toll free) 888-700-9279, 505-465-0973 Fish: Warm Water Fishery with bass, walleye, pike, catfish, perch, carp and crappie.

Special Boating Considerations: New Mexico State Parks boating regulations 16.3 Cochiti Lake: Motorized boating activity is limited to no-wake operation only. "Wake" means white water created from wave action breaking off the bow or sides of a vessel. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Requirements for Boating. All vessels must carry a U.S. Coast Guard approved wearable life jacket for each person on board, plus one U.S. Coast Guard approved throwable floatation device (cushion or ring buoy). These must be in serviceable condition and readily accessible. Keep at least 300 feet away from the control tower. No person shall operate any motorboat or vessel, nor use any surfboard or similar device, while under the influence of alcohol and/or controlled substance. Alcohol is totally prohibited anywhere within the Corps of Engineers properties. No person under the age of 13 shall operate a motor-boat unless under the onboard supervision of an adult. Be aware of changing weather and water conditions, and be prepared to act if conditions become hazardous. When winds of 15-20 mph are forecast or blowing, small craft (boats under 16') are cautioned to stay off of the lake.

Wind driven waves usually are worst for these craft when coming up the lake. See map for location of wind warning lights. Never allow people to ride on the bow, seat backs, or gunwales of a vessel. Boater's legs shall not hang overboard at any time. Swimming: You should never depend on inflatable or foam toys, rafts, or inner tubes to keep yourself afloat. If they are punctured, or if you fall off, you are in immediate danger. The wind direction and speed changes suddenly at Cochiti Lake. Persons using floatation toys may suddenly be blown into deep water. It is mandatory to wear a U.S. Coast Guard approved life jacket when using any type of floatation device. Swim at your own risk. No lifeguards are on duty. The swimming area is located by an access turnoff to the left before going down the boat ramp access. This road winds its way toward the dam area and a now developed swim area. Windsurfing: Accessed from Tetilla Peak Recreation Site (See the Map) the access to the windsurfing point is on a dirt road near the bottom of the Tetilla Boat Ramp heading along the shore on an unimproved road towards the dam.

It is mandatory to wear a U.S. Coast Guard approved life jacket when using any type of floatation device including a windsurf board. Suggest that an investment in an manual inflatable waist worn life jacket be made if a wetsuit is also worn. During the summer with warmer water temps a manual inflatable life jacket can be used. Service Boats: Closest boat servicing is in Santa Fe. Fueling is available just outside the park at the Cochiti Town Service Station and Launderette. Land Information: Cochiti Dam is one of the four Corps of Engineers projects for flood and sediment control on the Rio Grande, operating in conjunction with Abiquiu, Galisteo and Jemez Canyon Dams. Phone: (505) 465-0307 Albuquerque District > Missions > Civil Works > Tribal Program > Partnership > Cochiti Home > Missions > Civil Works > Tribal Program > Partnership > Cochiti Cochiti Dam Cochiti Dam and Lake is located on the Rio Grande mainstem approximately 50 miles north of Albuquerque, New Mexico. Construction and operation of Cochiti Dam and Lake was authorized by PL 86-645, PL 534 as amended, Senate Document No.

97, and PL 88-293. The facility regulates Rio Grande flows for flood damage reduction and sediment management. The majority of lands associated with Cochiti Dam and Lake are held in trust by the United States for the beneficial owners, the Pueblo de Cochiti, a federally recognized Native American Tribe. Operations at Cochiti Dam and Lake have become crucial to addressing regional water management and environmental issues. In recent Congressional testimony the Pueblo has pointed out that, although a significant amount of ecosystem research has been conducted in the area, little comprehensive synthesis has occurred especially as the Dam’s operations impact Tribal resources. As a result of its Native American Trust responsibilities, the Corps is required to protect Cochiti natural and cultural assets. Any such activities must be performed in cooperation with the Pueblo de Cochiti per Executive Order and Governmental policy (E.R. 1130-2-500, 530, 540; USACE, CECW-A, Policy Guidance Letter 57, 1998; ER 1105-2-100; Title 25: Chapter 14: II: 450a).

The US Army Corps of Engineers, Albuquerque District and the Pueblo de Cochiti are conducting an array of studies, begun in Fiscal Year 2004, intended to characterize the interactions of Cochiti Dam and Lake with Tribal resources. The proposed studies, developed in consultation among the Corps, the Pueblo and other interested stakeholders, will provide a baseline against which the impacts of any future operational changes at the lake may be evaluated. The proposed studies include; Water Quality Studies, Sediment Studies, Biological Studies, Cultural Studies, Economic Impact Studies, Information Management/Mapping, Independent Technical Reviews, Supervision and Management. The proposed study will clarify hydrologic interactions with local natural and cultural resources. The resulting information will provide three major benefits: 1) Federal and tribal resource managers will acquire crucial information necessary to evaluate changing operational demands, 2) the federal government will fulfill its obligatory Tribal trust responsibilities, and 3) the Pueblo de Cochiti will have the opportunity to enhance their capability in the area of resource management and regional water operations.

Facility Details - TETILLA PEAK, NM - Recreation.gov TETILLA PEAK, NM part of Cochiti Lake , US Army Corps of Engineers 55 Ratings Overview Tetilla Peak Recreation Area is located in Sandoval County, New Mexico, within the boundaries of the Pueblo de Cochiti Indian Reservation. The lake offers two public recreation areas: Cochiti on the west side of the lake and Tetilla Peak on the east side. Both sides offer spectacular scenic views of the water and surrounding mountains. The Cochiti Dam is one of the ten largest earth-fill dams in the United States, and also one of the largest in the world. The lake derives its name from the Indian Pueblo on the Cochiti Reservation. Natural Features: Cochiti Lake is in a high desert environment, and the dominant vegetation is desert scrubland. There are many opportunities for wildlife viewing. Four osprey nesting platforms have been erected around the lake to provide nesting sites, as well as viewing opportunities. On the east side of the lake, deer, coyote and rabbit are often sighted. Recreation: Wind surfing is a favorite pastime for visitors.

The lake is also a popular fishing spot for species such as bass, crappie, walleye, catfish, sunfish and trout. Tetilla Peak Recreation Area has a swim beach and playground for the convenience of families with children. Facilities: The campground consists of two loops. Cholla Loop includes 36 individual campsites, each with an electric hookup, table and grill. All electric campsites have shelters, and water spigots are located throughout the campground. This loop also provides a dump station and large restroom and shower building. A partially paved road winds through Coyote Loop, which has 10 sites, each with a table and grill. There are no electric hookups, and water spigots are scattered throughout the loop. The restroom and shower building is centrally located for easy access. The Tetilla boat ramp area offers a parking area and courtesy dock. Nearby Attractions:

Question: The Cochiti Dam is in which US state?
Answer: New Mexico