from the
Provo Area Office

Steinaker Dam resumes normal operations

By Darrick Whipple

In July 2018, Reclamation began modification work to repair a slope failure on the upstream face of the right abutment of Steinaker Dam by flattening the abutment slope. Other modifications included extending the outlet works intake to accommodate the flattened embankment, re-coating the outlet work gates and installing a new hydraulic system for gate operation.  The Dam safety modifications at Steinaker Dam is substantially complete. The construction costs totaled about twenty million dollars.

View from right abutment looking at the reconstructed dam embankment on the right abutment and the new intake structure for the outlet at Steinaker Dam.

Dam safety modifications were performed by Weeminuche Construction Authority Inc., located in Towaoc, Colorado and owned and operated by the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe. The organization’s hard work and technical capabilities are impressive. With the improvements, Reclamation, the Uintah Basin Water Conservancy District and the basin’s water users can all look forward to the continued safe and successful operation of this facility.

The dam provides off-stream water storage from Ashley Creek and is an important feature of the Vernal Unit of the Central Utah Project. The dam and reservoir provide certainty and reliability for water users in the Uintah Basin — delivering 15,000 acre-feet of water each year for irrigation. The reservoir also provides excellent fishing, boating, water skiing and other recreational opportunities.

from the
Western Colorado Area Office

Western Colorado Area Office focus

By Justyn Liff

Fruitgrowers Reservoir Traffic Counters

Western Colorado Area Office staff recently placed trail counters to count pedestrian use and traffic counters to detect vehicle use at WCAO sites. Data gathered will provide numbers for the Recreation Use Data Reports and will be considered when upgrades and changes are made at the sites.. Visitation numbers can also help justify recreation fund expenditures by showing the number of people visiting the areas. Trail counters were installed at Horsethief Canyon Wildlife Area, Grand Junction Wildlife Area, Orchard Mesa Wildlife Area, Simon Draw Wildlife Area and Hammond Mitigation Site. Traffic counters were installed at HCWA, DeBeque Wildlife Area, Fruitgrowers Reservoir and Miller Mesa.

Replacement of Bulkhead and Regulating Gates at Paonia Dam

In November 2019, construction will begin on replacing the bulkhead and regulating gates at Paonia Dam. The original bulkhead was removed in the winter of 2017, due to damage. The regulating gates need replaced due to age and wear. The $4.5 million contract was awarded to Gracon LLC, the completed work allows normal operations at the dam to continue. Work will be completed in April 2021.

BLM Firefighters removeing trees and brush at Navajo Dam

Navajo Dam Vegetation Clean-up

This fall a fire crew from the Bureau of Land Management’s Farmington Office removed invasive/non-native species and woody growth including; Russian olive, salt cedar, cottonwood and rabbit brush at Navajo Dam. The crew cut down the invasive trees and brush and sprayed tree stumps to keep them from growing back. Removal of the non-native brush will make it easier to monitor for seepage at the dam and reduce fire risk.

Paradox Environmental Impact Statement

The WCAO is working diligently on preparing the draft Paradox Environmental Impact Statement to be released for public review this fall. The Paradox Valley Unit, in Montrose County, Colorado, was constructed to assist in reducing the salinity of water delivered to users in the United States and the Republic of Mexico. The Unit, which is nearing the end of its useful life, consists of facilities to intercept shallow brine groundwater and inject it into the Leadville geologic formation via a deep injection well.

Reclamation is preparing the EIS to identify and evaluate brine disposal alternatives to replace the existing brine injection well. The internal review and cooperating agency review of the draft EIS has been completed and the WCAO is finalizing the draft EIS for public release. More information is available at: https://www.usbr.gov/uc/progact/paradox/index.html.

Salinity Update

The Western Colorado Area Office recently released a final Finding of No Significant Impacts and Environmental Assessment on a salinity control project on the Gould Canal to improve 12.4 miles of the canal with a combination of buried pipeline and concrete lining. These improvements will reduce seepage along the canal, enhance water supply and improve water quality by preventing approximately 5,697 tons of salt per year from entering the Colorado River. Construction will begin in the near future.

from the
Four Corners Construction Office

Latest Construction Contract Awarded on Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project

By Hubert “Chico” Quintana

On September 12, the Bureau of Reclamation awarded the latest section of the Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project, Block 4C-8, to Oscar Renda Contracting, Inc., of Roanoke, Texas, for $83.7 million. This section of the project will include construction of nearly 30 miles of 48-inch and 42-inch diameter pipeline spanning from the Navajo communities of Little Water to Naschitti, New Mexico.

The green line shows the nearly 30 miles of pipeline that will be constructed.

This award continues our important work to develop and modernize water infrastructure, honor the Department’s federal Indian trust responsibility and strengthen partnerships with tribal and local communities, said Department of the Interior Secretary David Bernhardt. Reclamation Commissioner Brenda Burman added, Completing the Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project is a key priority for Reclamation as we work to improve water supplies for tribal and rural communities.

The Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project will be transformative for communities in the Navajo Nation, the Jicarilla Apache Nation, and Gallup. Over the last decade, I’ve been proud to fight for the major federal investments necessary to finally deliver long-term clean drinking water supplies to thousands of families throughout northwestern New Mexico, said Senator Martin Heinrich (D-NM). The construction of this major project is also creating jobs and promoting economic development throughout the region. I will continue working to uphold the federal commitments in the historic Navajo Nation Water Rights Settlement Agreement and ensure that our communities in Indian Country have the resources they need to thrive.

Work under this contract will begin in January 2020 and is expected to last for approximately 2 years. Construction will be visible from U.S. Highway 491.

from the
Albuquerque Area Office

Reclamation Reroutes the Rio Grande

By Mary Carlson

Water is flowing down to Elephant Butte through a new channel as part of a Reclamation pilot project to realign a portion of the Rio Grande around a sediment plug.

The Albuquerque Area Office’s Socorro construction crews mobilized in September to excavate the channel that had already partially formed naturally this year within the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge. While water levels were high, water continued to flow around the plugged area with minimal reductions in flow reaching Elephant Butte.

The Rio Grande used to migrate back and forth across the valley, choosing its own path, said Albuquerque Area Manager Jennifer Faler. Whenever we have a lot of water like we had this summer, the river channel at this location fills with sediment and starts to seek a better flow path. This year, we had already completed the analysis and environmental compliance and were ready to start the work needed to allow the river to move to the lower, eastern side of the floodplain.

An amphibious excavator is used to move dirt and assist the Rio Grande in traveling down a new path to Elephant Butte Reservoir during construction by the Albuquerque Area Office's Socorro construction crew.

The Rio Grande is being rerouted in an area that has historically plugged with sediment during high flow years. Sediment plugs occur at this location because the river channel is perched above the adjacent floodplain. Most of the sediment in the river moves along the bottom of the channel. As water levels rise above the river banks during high flows, water leaves the main channel and inundates the overbank area. The water remaining in the channel becomes concentrated with sediment, which deposits rapidly and fills the main channel with sand. Channel plugging most recently occurred in 2017.

The realignment project aims to reduce plugging, improve downstream water delivery and direct water away from important riverside infrastructure. This pilot project within Reclamation’s River Maintenance Program will provide data and could lead to additional realignment work in the area.

The main part of the project was completed in early October, before the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District began moving water down to Elephant Butte for delivery to Texas under the Rio Grande Compact. However, work continues to widen the channel.

Commissioner Burman's Message on New Logo

The Bureau of Reclamation is modernizing our visual identity, including the logo, as part of a proactive effort to better articulate the important work we do. The new visual identity and logo improves accessibility, is more suitable for digital communications, and can be more uniquely and directly associated with Reclamation.