News Release Archive

Reclamation to restrict portions of Squaw Lake Road near Imperial Diversion Dam to accommodate installation of a new guard rail

Media Contact: Doug Hendrix, 702-293-8391, dhendrix@usbr.gov

For Release: August 21, 2015

Yuma, Ariz. — Reclamation’s Yuma Area Office reports that beginning the week of August 31, 2015, it will intermittently restrict traffic to one lane and temporarily reduce the speed limit on portions of the Squaw Lake Dike Road near Imperial Diversion Dam to accommodate installation of a new guard rail structure on both sides of the access road.

To complete the much needed safety barrier repairs along the roadway, contractors working on behalf of Reclamation will begin demolishing, removing and disposing of the existing guard rail structure and supporting earthen material. Following removal of the existing and dilapidated structure, the contractor will install approximately 8,000 linear feet of new federally approved guard railing and posts.

The upcoming maintenance activities are part of Reclamation’s efforts to maintain and safeguard its water delivery and storage infrastructure that provides water management services to farmers in the Yuma, Imperial Valley and Wellton Mohawk service areas. In conducting the maintenance work, the contractor will be operating heavy equipment and haul/delivery trucks along the access roads leading into this project site. The duration of the construction activities at this site is anticipated to take approximately one month, with estimated project completion occurring in early October 2015.

Senator Wash Road and Squaw Lake Dike Road are located in Imperial County, California, approximately 18 miles north of Yuma, Arizona, and two miles upstream from Imperial Dam. The 12,000 acre-foot active capacity reservoir and pump generation facility provides for the optimization of water delivery and storage operations in the lower stretch of the Colorado River.

For further information about this upcoming construction activity, please contact Chris Wallis, Chief of the Yuma Area Office’s Resource Management Office, at (928) 343-8215 or cwallis@usbr.gov.

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The Bureau of Reclamation is a federal agency under the U.S. Department of the Interior and is the nation's largest wholesale water supplier and second largest producer of hydroelectric power. Our facilities also provide substantial flood control, recreation opportunities, and environmental benefits. Visit our website at https://www.usbr.gov and follow us on Twitter @USBR; Facebook @bureau.of.reclamation; LinkedIn @Bureau of Reclamation; Instagram @bureau_of_reclamation; and YouTube @reclamation.