Heron Lake (New Mexico)
Heron Lake is a reservoir in Rio Arriba County, in northern New Mexico in the southwestern United States. The lake is part of the San Juan-Chama Project, which transfers water from the upper reaches of the San Juan River through the Azotea Tunnel, into Willow Creek and the Rio Chama.
Water is impounded in Heron Lake by the long, high Heron Dam, which was completed in 1971. The lake is approximately long and wide, and lies at an elevation of up to. Heron Dam is owned and operated by the United States Bureau of Reclamation.
The southern shore is the location of Heron Lake State Park, featuring over 200 camping and picnic sites, and two improved boat ramps. The lake is a destination for salmon and trout fishing, as well as for small boat sailing. Boat speeds are restricted by a 'no-wake' policy. A hiking trail crosses the Rio Chama Gorge via a pedestrian suspension bridge, and then runs southwest through wooded terrain to the grounds of El Vado Lake State Park.
The lake, dam, and state park are named after Kenneth A. Heron, an engineer in the early 1900s who realized that water could be diverted from wetter areas to the north, to the benefit of more arid regions to the south.
