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fishing spot closes as Acomita Lake is drained due to 'leaking' dam Tom Purdom Staff Writer PUEBLO OF ACOMA — Fishermen thinking about some fast action on Acomita Lake anytime in the next couple of years might want to think about going elsewhere. A leaking dam, which has been a recurring problem at the 70-acre lake, caused Pueblo of Acoma officials to abandon Plan A to keep the lake open and just let the dam leak. Instead they went with Plan B . The lake has been completely drained, according to a news release that says once construction is completed, the lake will be refilled again and fishing will resume. Acomita Lake was home to rainbow trout and channel catfish. Some of the trout were huge, up to 24 inches of rod-bending fight. According to an Internet site on Acomita Lake, the lake was closed about 1981 because of dam problems and was reopened when officials thought the leak was repaired in 1998. Ian Tator, a wildlife biologist for Acoma Game and Fish, said, "We don't call it a leak, we call it seeping." Tator said water was never gushing out of the earthen dam on the south side of the lake, which is 40 feet deep in its deepest spot. Tator said a liner will be installed to stop the seepage. "The safety of dam's office from the Bureau of Indian Affairs got some money for a liner," Tator said. "We hope to start work on it about this time next year." A liner can be a waterproof material placed between the inside dam face and the water. Water cannot seep through the waterproof liner and consequently, through the dam. In addition to the liner an early warning system will be installed. "That would be to alert the community in case of a dam breach," Tator said. "We'll be doing this at this time because it is convenient." Installing a liner is no easy task. Tator said the construction period will require time. "We'll re-open Acomita Lake between one and one-half to two years from now," Tator said. The lake has been a popular fishing hot spot because of the size and number of trout, as well as some lunker catfish. Mostly, when it comes to trout fishing, the lake has been a put and take proposition. Acoma Game and Fish releases hundreds of full-gown trout into the icy waters and the fishermen catch them. A few survive to grow larger The lake area also contains several picnic shelters and bench tables, as well as a bait and tackle shop built by the Pueblo of Acoma. "When we re-open we'll have quite a few activities planned," Tator said. "One of them will be the $50,000 fish." One fish is tagged with a special tag and if caught, the person catching it gets $50,000.
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