Carlsbad Irrigation Flume

The concrete flume was a rescue. By 1902 the wooden flume was failing, and the engineer Johnston designed a reinforced concrete aqueduct 497 feet long and up to 47 feet high, carried on elliptical arches; work began in September 1902 and cost about $50,000. On completion it was reported the largest irrigation flume in the United States, a claim later signs stretched to the largest concrete structure in the world. Carlsbad calls it the river that crosses itself, and it still carries Pecos water from Lake Avalon.

What the plaque says

Official Scenic Historic Marker Carlsbad Irrigation Flume The massive concrete flume in the distance carries water from the Pecos River to irrigate much of the farmland in this area. It is a vital link in an extensive irrigation system which made possible development of the region's agricultural resources. A wooden flume constructed in 1890 washed away in 1902 and was replaced by the more substantial concrete structure in 1903.

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Living Desert Zoo and Gardens State Park — 0.3 mi
  A zoo and garden of the Chihuahuan Desert on the Ocotillo Hills above Carlsbad, whose animals are injured or orphaned wildlife that cannot go back to the wild.
• Carlsbad Caverns National Park — 21 mi
  The way into the cave has changed four times: a guano miner's bucket, a wooden staircase, a 750-foot elevator, and now a timed ticket and a switchback trail down the natural entrance.

More markers nearby

• Civilian Conservation Corps Carlsbad Campsite — steps away
• Carlsbad Irrigation Flume — 0.2 mi
• Carlsbad Irrigation Flume — 0.3 mi
• Mother Magdalen and the Sisters of Loretto (1852-1968) / Carlsbad — 3.0 mi