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Gizmodo

Albuquerque Was 'Drought-Proof'âUntil Its Dam Started Leaking

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83% Informative

New Mexico's El Vado dam has been out of commission for the past three summers.

The dam collects billions of gallons of river water to store and eventually release to help farmers during times when the river runs dry.

The failure of the dam has shaken up the water supply for the entire region surrounding Albuquerque .

Albuquerque built a $160 million water treatment plant in 2008 that allowed it to clean water from the distant Colorado River .

The loss of El Vado is jeopardizing this achievement.

The Bureau of Reclamation is looking for a way to fix the dam and restore Rio Grande water to Albuquerque .

The next-best option is to find somewhere else to store water for farmers.