New Mexico State University’s Alumni Pond is finally back open in Las Cruces after a restoration project that ran past its original June reopening target. The pond has been refilled, construction fencing is gone, and the campus landmark is welcoming visitors again — though this is not yet a place for swimming, fishing or tossing in a pet turtle.
Crews installed a new clay liner and completed additional restoration work before reopening the area Monday, according to KFOX14/CBS4. Robert Farrer, NMSU’s assistant director of project development and engineering, said the university was “happy to invite the community” back after working with New Mexico Game and Fish, engineers, pond specialists and contractors.
The Delayed Reopening Was A Deliberate Water Check
NMSU had originally planned to reopen Alumni Pond on June 1, but the university paused the project after monitoring showed the pond was using more water than expected. In a June update, New Mexico State University said project leaders conducted an additional evaluation to make sure the reconstructed pond would perform as designed.
That extra scrutiny followed a much larger problem. NMSU closed the pond in August 2023 after discovering a leak, and a university engineering review later found that roughly 750,000 gallons had disappeared in three days — about one-third of the pond’s capacity — while its original liner was more than 45 years old, according to an NMSU report.
The Pond Is Open, But Its Ecosystem Is Still Starting Over
The reopening marks the primary restoration phase, not the end of the project’s ecological recovery. NMSU said in May that aquatic vegetation would need time to establish, water levels could continue fluctuating through 2027, and fish would not be introduced immediately as the pond’s new ecosystem develops.
Visitors are being asked to stay out of the water because the clay liner is slippery and to keep pets away from aquatic plant areas. They should also avoid adding fish, turtles, ducks, plants or other animals, since introducing outside species could disrupt the recovery process, KFOX14/CBS4 reports.
A $1.3 Million Project Brings Back A Campus Landmark
The Board of Regents approved $1.3 million for the Alumni Pond reconstruction in June 2025, with the broader goal of restoring a longtime campus gathering place and recreational area. NMSU said the project was designed to improve the pond’s long-term sustainability while future fundraising could support added landscaping, lighting, seating and pedestrian improvements.
For now, Alumni Pond is best viewed as a restored campus space in its next chapter: open to the public, still settling into its new design and dependent on visitors not treating it like a backyard aquarium. The fish, ducks and other familiar pond life may return over time, but the university’s immediate message is clear — enjoy the shoreline and let the ecosystem rebuild itself.
