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Little is documented about the history of Six Mile Dam. It is mentioned in 1911 as a small diversion dam on the Pecos River about 4.5 miles south of the town of Carlsbad and it was constructed by the Water Users Association to irrigate small parcels of land near the village of Loving, New Mexico. It was destroyed at least once by floods including the flood of 1911 which destroyed the upstream Avalon Dam. No definitive documentation could be found for the rebuild of the current dam. It is no longer used for irrigation diversion. It is owned by the City of Carlsbad and has been the subject of intense interest for development as a recreational area. The mayor of Carlsbad has personally asked Sun Country Outdoors to assist in the planning and development of the area, especially with respect to improving the fishery. BLM has also contracted with New Mexico Bass Nation to help plan improved recreational use of the area just upstream of the dam on BLM properties. A master plan has been developed that includes trails, kayak access, handicapped fishing access, bird/wildlife observation and visitor control. New Mexico Bass Nation and Sun Country Outdoors are actively involved in detailed planning.
Many impairments and challenges exist for the reservoir. One major feature is the discharge from the wastewater treatment plant at the upper end of the pool. During the recent oil boom, the population of Carlsbad more than doubled and wastewater treatment capacity was inadequate to maintain discharge standards. Excess nutrients still exist and are trapped in the sediments. In addition, grass carp from upstream unauthorized introductions have removed most of the native aquatic vegetation. Previous dredging and bank clearing have left shallow, sandy shorelines for most of the target areas. Siltation from the irrigation drainage outfall has also filled in the channels that connected the drain to the river. In summary, the area is ripe with opportunities for improvement.
Although the target area is only about 30 acres, the restoration will have a major impact on access, connectivity, fish production, water quality and user satisfaction. Over 300 fish habitat sites will be developed and integrated into the overall plan for the reservoir. The re-introduction of native trees in the area will help with shoreline water temperatures in an area that annually sees over 60 days of 100 degree Fahrenheit afternoons. Local cooling will help in dealing with the continued higher temperatures and drought experienced in recent years. Clearing backwater channels will also reduce water temperatures and increase fish and wildlife in key areas.

This project will restore and enhance the fish habitat, water quality and angler access to a small reservoir located on the south end of Carlsbad New Mexico. Fish habitat has been impacted by tamarisk clearing, grass carp, sedimentation and past dredging practices. The project will add about 300 fish habitat areas, restore native 4 miles of shoreline vegetation, propagate aquatic vegetation, partner with the City of Carlsbad and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to develop two new kayak access and handicapped fish areas. Some of the fish habitat and living shoreline features will be specifically designed for nutrient conversion to better utilize carrying capacity and mitigate the occurrence and impact of green and golden algae based on best practices from the upstream RFHP Spring River Pond (Roswell) project, the RFHP Carlsbad Revival project and scholarly studies in Texas and New Mexico. Specific small areas near the dam and irrigation drain outfall will be targeted for sediment removal using siphon techniques reviewed at the 2020 Kansas City RFHP workshop and endorsed by the Bureau of Reclamation.

Access is extremely limited due to steep banks, undeveloped roads, private farmlands and lack of non-motorized canoe and kayak launches. Sun Country Outdoors has been consulting and providing in-kind assistance to the City of Carlsbad and the Bureau of Reclamation to develop kayak access, parking areas, observation and picnic areas near the dam. Both entities are extremely supportive of Sun Country completing the Carlsbad Revival project and partnering in restoration of the Six Mile Dam stretch of the Pecos River. Additional kayak launch areas are needed at the upper reach of the reservoir and if possible midway on private farm property. Sun Country has consulted with the Fishes and Farmers Habitat Partnership for best practices. The farmer has been approached and is open to discussions. It is likely that the City of Carlsbad will provide all equipment, manpower and materials to complete all angler access elements of the project using non-federal funds.
Special design consideration will be given to the potential for severe flooding. Best practices will be applied to all aspects of the project. Sun Country and the BLM have discussed significant channel improvement near the irrigation drainage outfall, where backwater areas could be reconnected with the river and restore the fishery, provide safe boater access and connect the farmland drain to the river.

Sun Country Outdoors, NMGF and and the BLM are in an excellent position to partner in creating an exceptional fishery and recreation destination. Methods will be incorporated from a large number of RFHP projects, BLM fisheries development plans for nearby ponds, documented hazardous algae bloom (HAB) mitigation strategies, and custom fish habitat designs developed by Sun Country Outdoors and NMGF that are intended to survive occasional intense flooding.
Specific methods include simulated ell grass panels based on studies at MIT that will trap and develop suitable soils for reintroduction of native aquatic vegetation. https://news.mit.edu/2019/study-seagrass-erosion-0503 A prior donation of over 30 miles of drip tubing by the Chino copper mine is being used to refine the ell grass panels for the Carlsbad Revival project and should be very cost effective for this project. Large structure is also being developed using a combination of reclaimed oil field hydrofracturing water pipes that are very strong and dense to be used as anchored fish habitat foundations with a wide variety of "add-on" features to simulate branches, logs, bushes, and submerged native cactus serving to increase surface area and overhead cover for the fish. NMGF and local anglers will monitor the fish habitat and provide what data can be gathered through creel surveys, catch photographs and electroshocking surveys to determine if the desired results are being achieved.

Monitoring Plan Overview:

Goals of the Six Mile Restoration are as follows: 1) To improve and revitalize degraded aquatic habitat and enhance local aquatic communities through aquatic invasive species removal, 2) to improve aquatic habitat by stabilizing eroded shorelines and improving bank shading through planting live stakes, and native vegetation establishment and management, 3) to create spawning and viable fish habitat by deploying fish habitat structures adjacent to restoration sites, 4) increasing the availability of prey-base fish , 5) to increase angler use of fish habitat sites (boat and shoreline anglers), and 6) to increase angler/user knowledge about the value and benefit of a healthy reservoir ecosystem.

Project success will be measured primarily by the reintroduction and survival of native trees and native aquatic vegetation, fish use of habitat structures at restoration sites (e.g., increased large mouth bass catch rate in NMDGF samples and by anglers), and the measured reproductive success of prey-base fish (mainly bluegill and shad).

Survival and growth of native aquatic vegetation and woody vegetation plantings will be monitored through biannual and post flood photo point surveys of the restoration sites. Species-specific survival/mortality will be documented so that future plantings can be adapted for success.

Fish use of submerged habitat structures (eel grass panels, plastic structures, wooden structures) will be monitored by NMDGF using standard electrofishing sampling protocols pre- and post-installation. Largemouth bass will be targeted for data analysis during these samples but crappie spp., catfish spp., and sunfish spp. usage will be documented as well. Samples will be conducted fall 2021, spring and fall 2022 prior to installation of structures. Samples then will be conducted spring and fall 2023 and 2024 to document changes in use post installation.

There is already a massive outreach plan underway headed up by the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce, the City of Carlsbad and the Carlsbad BLM office. The local newspaper, the Carlsbad Current Argus has already done stories on the plans and cleanup efforts for the Six Mile Dam recreation initiative. Sun Country Outdoors and New Mexico Bass Nation also have Facebook pages and close connection with angler and wildlife communities in the area. This project will receive a very high level of attention and media exposure. Local educators, conservation groups and even gardeners are very interested in the living shoreline and floating islands features and are preparing to support the Carlsbad Revival project. This should provide a significant jump-start to the Six Mile Restoration project.