Boca Negra Detention Dam - Albuquerque, NM

The Boca Negra Detention Dam is a regional facility located on Albuquerque’s west mesa designed to protect down-stream properties and drainage infrastructure for future development of the northwest area of the city.

The structure offers a central storm water collection facility with an additional benefit of providing water quality best management practices by removing debris and sediment before the water moves down stream into the Boca Negra Canyon and the Petroglyph National Monument.

Area trails extend north, south, east, and west of the dam. A trail head parking area was incorporated into the dam pool providing community access to Petroglyph National Park, volcanoes in the City of Albuquerque Open Space, and several other user destinations. In addition, as part of the required dam outfall pipe design, a new trail traversing the escarpment was provided to tie the communities east and west of the steep terrain through the Petroglyph National Monument.