Historical Marker
Carlsbad Irrigation Flume
Carlsbad, Eddy County · New Mexico
The flume is one piece of a working landmark. The Carlsbad Irrigation District was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1964, a district of seven buildings and twenty-two structures that includes Avalon Dam and its reservoir, the Main Canal, the flume, and the First National Bank of Eddy downtown, which for years held the district's offices. Most of the dams and works have been rebuilt over the decades; the 1903 flume still stands as built. This older panel spells the first flume wooded, a slip the newer panels fix.
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 wooded flume constructed in 1890 washed away in 1902 and was replaced by the more substantial concrete structure in 1903.
Where it stands
32.44493, -104.25765 · Directions
Worth the stop nearby
- Living Desert Zoo and Gardens State Park — 0.4 miA 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 — 22 miThe 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.