Expert Earth Movers

Written by: Mary Carlson

Socorro Field Division construction and heavy machinery operatorsThe Socorro Field Division of the Albuquerque Area Office is comprised of construction and heavy machinery operators who specialize in river maintenance along the Middle Rio Grande. The expertise of these crews in both river maintenance and habitat restoration has recently garnered a lot of recognition in New Mexico.

During a dedication ceremony at the Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge, the crew who worked on the Rio Hondo Restoration Project through an interagency agreement with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was touted for their knowledge of this type of work.

Dr. Benjamin Tuggle, Regional Director for the Service’s Southwest Region said this project will be used as an example in “collaboration. This is how DOI agencies should partner.”

The work near the Pecos River in southeastern New Mexico included installing a fixed height earthen plug to diverts river flows below 750 cfs into a new Rio Hondo channel. The diversion of the existing Rio Hondo back to the pre-1904 Rio Hondo channel required excavating about one mile of new channel, reshaping three miles of pre-1904 channel, and removal of saltcedar from the pre-1904 channel. The construction crew was also commended for their ability to look at plans and actual work and see when things are not going to work and offer workable solutions.

This diversion was a matter of much discussion on the tour of the project following the dedication ceremony in November. Floyd Truetken, the refuge manager, said he would have thought these rocks were hand placed if he hadn’t watched the crews use their equipment to push the rocks into place. The Service also commended the great work and cooperation of Cord Everetts, a civil engineering tech from the Albuquerque Area Office who served as the Project Coordinator.

Although the Albuquerque Area Office often receives requests for the expertise of the force account crews, their primary responsibility is to respond to floods or other river maintenance issues in the Middle Rio Grande. But they travel throughout New Mexico to perform work. In 2013, when New Mexico experienced fall floods from heavy rainstorms, the Socorro crews were in four different locations and rushed back to the Middle Rio Grande to respond.

One of the Socorro crews is currently performing work at Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge through an interagency agreement with New Mexico Interstate Stream Commission and the Fish and Wildlife Service. This 16-acre floodplain restoration project along the Rio Grande within the refuge, which is located between Belen and Socorro, is aimed at assist in the recovery of the region’s endangered and threatened fish and birds, especially the Rio Grande Silvery Minnow, the Southwestern Willow Flycatcher and the Yellow-billed Cuckoo. It will also reduce the potential for flooding that could impact the refuge.

“This project is a great example of how state and federal agencies can work together to achieve mutually agreed upon goals in an expedited manner,” Interstate Stream Commission Director Deborah Dixon said during a recent Open House to highlight the project.

Published on January 29, 2016