NMSU looks to restore, rebuild Alumni Pond

EL PASO, Texas ( KTSM ) — New Mexico State University (NMSU) announced on Monday, Sept. 30, that they will be restoring and rebuilding its Alumni Pond, according to a press release from the university.

NMSU says the Alumni Pond was closed last August after it lost a significant amount of water in a short period of time.

The university partnered with a national engineering firm with expertise in water resource engineering, to conduct an evaluation of the pond. A complete report was provided to NMSU in December 2023.

NMSU has provided some details of the report which are the following:

“The pond was created in the 1970s and is approximately one acre in size; 12-feet deep at maximum; and has a volume of 2.2 million gallons. At the point of closure, the pond had lost approximately 750,000 gallons of water in three days, about one-third of its capacity. The pond’s liner is more than 45 years old and should be completely replaced, ” NMSU said.

Facilities and Services staff have also determined that the supporting structures for the pedestrian bridge could benefit from preventative maintenance which can only take place while the pond is drained, according to NMSU.

“University leaders are currently evaluating funding options, including assessing the level of alumni and community support for the restoration of the Alumni Pond. The level of funding available will dictate how quickly the Alumni Pond can be restored,” NMSU said.

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