from the
Albuquerque Area Office

Heat and low water supply test water managers on the Rio Grande.

By Mary Carlson, Albuquerque Area Office of Public Affairs

As temperatures top 100 degrees in Albuquerque this summer, water managers on the Rio Grande again face tough decisions on how to manage a limited water supply.

New Mexico has been in an extended drought cycle for more than 20 years. More recently, conditions have worsened with several years of severe to extreme drought with significantly below average runoff. Conditions eased last year with above average snowpack and runoff. But one good year does not erase the deficit in reservoirs drawn down by years of drought.

The 2020 runoff appeared to be shaping up as close to average, based on the snowpack forecasts in March. However, by April, temperatures began to rise and the snowpack was almost gone. Add dry soil conditions to the mix and very little water made its way into our reservoirs and down to the Rio Grande. Reclamation began supplementing flows in the Middle Rio Grande by the end of April using water leased from San Juan-Chama Project contractors. Reclamation was down to 7,900 ac-ft of supplemental water to support endangered species and river flows by mid-July.

The Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District is also on the verge of exhausting its supplies and was expected to move to operations focused on prior and paramount rights on the lands of the Six Middle Rio Grande Pueblos. Natural flow in the Middle Rio Grande continues to drop as temperatures and consumptive use increase and tributary inflow decreases, resulting in almost all flow through the Middle Rio Grande being comprised of imported water from Reclamation's San Juan-Chama Project. The San Juan-Chama Project is a trans-basin system through which New Mexico receives its portion of Colorado River water.

On June 30, 2020, the Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority announced it would stop diverting its portion of San Juan-Chama Project water into its drinking water project to assist with keeping the Albuquerque reach of the Middle Rio Grande wet.

Reclamation is working closely with the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District, Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority, the New Mexico Interstate Stream Commission, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and other water management entities in the Middle Rio Grande to manage the remainder of its supplemental water supply in a way that would be most beneficial for the endangered Rio Grande silvery minnow.

from the
Power Office

Maintenance Crew tackles workplace upgrades

By John Morton, Flaming Gorge Field Division

During the COVID 19 pandemic, the Flaming Gorge maintenance crew, like most powerplant crews in the Upper Colorado Basin Region were placed on three rotating shifts and offered maximum telework to help slow the spread of the virus. But it's hard to turn a wrench or run a power tool from home, teleworking works well for some professions but not so well for the crafts.

The newly cleaned, painted and rearranged Carpenter Shop.

During their first two-week rotation at home, they used this time to complete various online training related to their individual skills, safety and Reclamation required annual requirements. But after the second rotation at home they had completed almost all the assigned trainings, and that is when the maintenance supervisor, Robert Weaver, came up with a novel way to keep them working, even though they couldn't be together as a crew.

When Weaver walked into the Carpenter Shop and contemplated the many years' worth of accumulated equipment and parts laying around, he said "This place is a mess"! So, he brought the crew back to work.

With several bays in two different buildings, they were able to keep their distance from each other and still accomplish a lot. The crew eagerly jumped in, to sort through all the equipment and parts, throwing away things that no longer worked and were of no value and turning in for surplus, equipment that was no longer needed.

New shelving in the Carpenter Shop for storing and organizing tools and equipment. Reclamation photo

They built shelving to store all the battery powered tools and accessories and labeled all the shelves so everything would be easier to find. They cleaned and painted the entire inside of the building, making it much brighter and easier to work in. Weaver purchased, and they installed a modern auto lift to replace the old original lift that was removed several years ago.

All in all, it has made a tremendous difference in the usability and efficiency of the maintenance area in Dutch John and has been a great boost in the morale of Flaming Gorge's maintenance crew.

from the
Provo Area Office

Bathymetric Survey, what is this?

By Kayla Ashworth, Civil Engineer

In 2014, an article published by CNN news declared that water was more valuable than gold . When one ponders this statement, there is no question why the Bureau of Reclamation exists—to protect such an important resource: water. The Provo Area Office takes this responsibility seriously and this fiscal year management committed to providing resources for employees in the Operations and Emergency Management Group and the Geographic Information System Team to make progress on completion of Bathymetric Surveys of its reservoirs.

What is a Bathymetric Survey and why it important?

Jacob Allen (CUWCD) and Josh Kresge (Reclamation) placing the sonar head held by a mounting bracket into Jordanelle Reservoir, Utah. Reclamation photo

When a dam is designed, a team of land surveyors attempt to map the entirety of the future reservoir bottom. These maps are then used to calculate important operations data such as volume, surface area, outflow hydraulics, and inundation mapping. As most of our dams were constructed prior to the many technological advancements in the land survey world, most of these maps are not extremely accurate. In addition, sediment brought in through reservoir inlet rivers has changed most of the underwater topography. Bathymetric Surveys seek to map these areas using advanced sonar technology to improve operations data.

Bathymetric Surveys over the years have improved. Where once boats would drag a wire to attempt to map the reservoir floor, the Provo Area Office has implemented the use of a multibeam sonar. This sonar sends an array of beams which can map the entirety of the reservoir down to a centimeter. Employees involved with the surveys spend long hours boating around the reservoir mapping every section. To date four reservoirs have been surveyed using this advanced equipment.

A current agreement with Brigham Young University, the Central Utah Water Conservancy District, Utah Department of Natural Resources, and the U.S. Forest Service has focused use of this equipment to monitor sedimentation increases in Starvation Reservoir following the Dollar Ridge Fire of 2018.

The data collected from these surveys has proven extremely valuable. In certain reservoirs one can see the remnants of old highways long since submerged, and old riverbeds that once wound through the valley. Bathymetric surveys are bringing to life a history often forgotten on the reservoir floor.

from the
Western Colorado Area Office

Western Colorado Area Office roundup

By Justyn Liff, Western Colorado Area Public Affairs

Scouts Help at Grand Junction Wildlife Area

Boy Scout Rueben Galven demonstrating tree caging. Reclamation photo by Cory Lindberg

In June, Rueben Galvan of Boy Scout Troop 353 in Grand Junction, Colorado completed his Eagle Project at Grand Junction Wildlife Area, planting 100 trees and shrubs and building cages around them. A week later, Cub Scout Pack 353 caged cottonwood trees at the wildlife area. Reclamation prepared the field for planting, provided materials and tools for the Scouts and other volunteers to use to plant the trees, then the trees were caged by Reclamation and Scouting volunteers to protect them from wildlife while they are small. Once the planted trees and shrubs grow and mature, the cages will be removed. The Western Colorado Area Office is thankful for the help at the wildlife area from the local boy scouts.

Durango Pumping Plant Construction

Modifications began in January on the intake structure at the Durango Pumping Plant; the feature used to pump water from the Animas River to Lake Nighthorse, part of the Animas-La Plata Project located in Durango, Colorado. The modifications to the overflow crest gates, trashracks, and bulkheads will improve the operational capability of the intake structure. For the next few months concrete work will continue and then the gate installation can begin. Electrical work will begin, and grating, platform and other metal work will start. During the COVID-19 health crisis, crews are continuing to work and are taking precautions per local health department guidelines. Construction is scheduled to be completed in February 2021.

Taylor Park Lease of Power Privilege

The WCAO is preparing a Federal Register Notice to seek proposals to lease the right to develop hydroelectric power at Taylor Park Dam, part of the Uncompahgre Project, located near Gunnison, Colorado, under a Lease of Power Privilege. An LOPP is a contractual right given to a non-federal entity to use a Reclamation facility for electric power generation consistent with Reclamation project purposes.

"Hydropower is a renewable and reliable resource providing clean energy to the western United States" said Ed Warner, Western Colorado Area Office Manager. "Reclamation's LOPP program facilitates the development of untapped hydropower potential on federal water resource projects and allows non-Federal entities to take advantage of existing infrastructure where there is potential to generate clean, renewable energy."

Bonham Field Office

The Bonham Field Office is located on the Grand Mesa in west-central Colorado near the town of Collbran. The Bonham Crew is responsible for operating and maintaining 15 dams, all of which are privately owned but operated and maintained by the Bureau of Reclamation under contracts with 5 separate owners. These dams are not included on the Bureau of Reclamation's dam safety program because they are privately owned. Instead they fall under the jurisdiction of the State of Colorado. The Bonham crew is also responsible for over 10 miles of pipeline and numerous associated facilities and structures associated with the Bonham - Cottonwood Collection System, part of the Collbran Project.

Bonham Field Office in the winter on the Grand Mesa. Reclamation photo by Phil Ipson

During irrigation season, inflows and reservoir elevations are monitored twice a week to determine exchange flows to be released from Vega Reservoir and water availability for power generation at the Upper and Lower Molina power plants. In the off season, the crew continues periodic maintenance of the project as weather permits.

During the winter, the reservoirs are still monitored as the Molina power plants usually generate power year-round. The project is then accessed by snowmobile and/or snowcat. During the winter, the crew starts at a building around 8,000 feet elevation where the snowmobiles and snow cat are stored. Then they ride four miles to the office located around 10,000 feet elevation and often must shovel out a few feet of snow to just get in the door. Temperatures are often well below 0 degrees Fahrenheit, which, combined with the snow depth, makes each day an adventure. We have cold weather operating criteria set up to help mitigate hazards. The crew has helped on several construction projects during the off season for other projects. These include: building ponds, wildlife pond outlet pipe replacement, intake structure bulkhead removal, fish passage gate installation, riverbank restoration, toe drain installation, other dam maintenance, etc.

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.