News and Highlights

• Public Comment Period – Closes March 27, 2026

  Availability of Draft Environmental Assessment, Bostwick Park Water Conservancy District’s Hairpin Lateral Piping and Salinity Reduction Project, Salinity Control Program, Colorado

  A draft Environmental Assessment was prepared by the Bureau of Reclamation to comply with the National Environmental Policy Act. The EA evaluates the Proposed Action and a No Action Alternative. Under the Proposed Action Alternative, Reclamation would provide funding via a grant through their Salinity Control Program to the BPWCD to implement irrigation water infrastructure improvements, including approximately 4,734 feet of siphon piping and approximately 15,186 feet of lateral abandonment. The project would include approximately 3,304 feet of 8-inch high-density polyethylene piping to serve an existing turnout; approximately 2,000 feet of 2-inch HDPE piping to serve one of the new wildlife waterers adjacent to the existing lateral; two new wildlife waterer installations; and the implementation of a habitat replacement plan. The proposed project would improve system efficiency and prevent approximately 1,237 tons of salt from entering the Colorado River annually.

  The draft EA is available at https://www.usbr.gov/uc/DocLibrary/ea.html#EA2026, or a paper copy is available upon request.

  Reclamation requests receipt of comments on the draft EA on or before Friday, March 27, 2026. Comments may be e-mailed to JWard@usbr.gov or mailed to:

  Bart Deming
  Area Manager
  Bureau of Reclamation
  Western Colorado Area Office
  445 West Gunnison Ave, Suite 221
  Grand Junction, Colorado 81501

  If you have any questions on the draft EA, please contact Jenny Ward at 970-248-0651. For the hearing impaired please call the Federal Relay System at (800) 877-8339 (TTY).

• News Release – Jan. 8, 2026

  Navajo Dam lane closure

  DURANGO, COLO. –New Mexico Highway 511 over Navajo Dam, located about 45 miles east of Farmington, New Mexico, will be closed to two-way traffic Jan. 13 to May 20. Read More »

---

Navajo Dam Road Closure and Drilling Update

As part of Reclamation's Safety of Dams Program, crews began exploratory drilling in Jan. 2024 to gather geotechnical data on Navajo Dam, located 45 miles east of Farmington, New Mexico. Under this program, Reclamation completes annual inspections and studies in order to identify potential issues that may lead to a corrective action. While all dams have seepage, there has been an increase in the amount of seepage at Navajo Dam over the years which has led to the need for the current exploratory work.

Reclamation wants to identify the source of the seepage and evaluate if new state-of-the-art practices that were unavailable at the time of construction would reduce the seepage.

This exploratory drilling will give Reclamation the necessary information to learn how best to address the seepage issues at Navajo Dam.

Drilling at Navajo Dam is time-intensive due to several factors including the sampling and testing process, complexities of drilling angled holes, onsite sample preservation, shipping preparation, and fighting external factors such as high winds, varying temperatures, and traffic control. Drilling is paused every 10-feet in holes that vary in depth from 120-feet to 450-feet to acquire samples and/or complete testing.

It is anticipated that drill crews will need to complete testing and data collection on 26 or more drill hole locations so that a thorough analysis can be achieved, and the seepage area identified. Due to the complexity of the exploratory drilling, it is expected that crews could be working for up to two years.

Road closure information is also available on New Mexico's Department of Transportation website.