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Wall and roof installation at Pumping Plant 7. Reclamation photo |
Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project Update on Bureau of Reclamation Construction ContractsBy Moncef Tihami, Design and Commissioning Chief, Four Corners Construction OfficeNavajo-Gallup Water Supply Project construction activities are moving forward as planned with 267 out of the 300 miles of pipeline associated with the Project either installed, in construction, or under contract. ![]() ![]()
Reclamation held an Industry Day in November to gather input from water treatment firms on the upcoming design-build contract for the San Juan Lateral Water Treatment Plant. Over the course of 2023 and early 2024, Reclamation will qualify and evaluate design-build teams with plans to award a contract in the spring of 2024. The SJLWTP is expected to be fully built and delivering drinking water to Navajo Communities in western New Mexico and the Window Rock/Fort Defiance area, along with the City of Gallup, in 2028. |
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Elephant Butte Lake State Park. Reclamation photo |
Reclamation seeks public input on Elephant Butte RecreationBy Upper Colorado Basin Public AffairsThe Bureau of Reclamation's Albuquerque Area Office is surveying the public to learn more about recreational interests at Elephant Butte Lake State Park and the Historic District. Reclamation recently released a survey seeking public input aimed at evaluating and improving recreation services and programs available at Elephant Butte including the Historic District (Dam Site Recreation Area & Fish Hatchery/Paseo del Rio Recreation Area) that is managed by Reclamation and not New Mexico State Parks. The voluntary survey includes a series of questions ranging from recreation facilities to visitor services and recreation programs.
![]() The survey is available on the Upper Colorado Basin Regional website and the link was also distributed through social media and a news release. Paper copies of the survey are available to those who wish to fill it out and mail or e-mail it in, and Reclamation staff will also visit the Elephant Butte area in the coming months to distribute surveys and help boost responses. |
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The now retired Phoenix 6000 auto-synchronizing system. Reclamation photo |
In-sync at Flaming Gorge Power PlantBy Billy Elbrock, Facility Manager, Flaming Gorge Dam![]() ![]() ![]() The installation of a new auto synchronizing system was completed at the Flaming Gorge Powerplant in September 2022. The plant's auto synchronizing system has utilized the Phoenix 6000 equipment since the 1970s, and though that system was operating sufficiently, it was starting to show signs of failure and needed to be replaced. The auto synchronizing system allows a generator to automatically start up and tie into the electric grid without causing damage to the generator. A large part of its purpose is to ensure the generator is operating at the correct voltage and speed before connecting to the grid. Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories (SEL) was contracted to provide the synchronizing unit along with settings to meet the plant's needs, and the upgrade was performed mostly in-house. The new system utilizes an SEL 451, which gathers information from the generator then tells the exciter and governor to adjust speed and voltage; then, when everything is just right, it tells the breaker to close, connecting the generator to the grid. Since the SEL 451 has very few similarities to the old Phoenix 6000, all design work also needed to be completed in-house to meet plant requirements. This in-house design was able to eliminate 10 relays that were points of failure in the past, which substantially increased reliability. The skills and abilities of the in-house personnel resulted in the system being commissioned and it is operating with zero major problems. Special thanks to Kasey Frandsen, electrical engineer, Jared Marquis, plant supervisor, Matt Miller, electrician and Dylan Snyder, electronic technician, for their work on this project. |
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Contracted employees finish up installing the new breakers in their cabinet. Reclamation photo |
Blue Mesa powerplant back online to produce power after main breaker replacementBy Clint Stone, Upper Colorado Basin Public Affairs and Eric Langley, Blue Mesa Powerplant Supervisor![]() Both power generation units at the Blue Mesa powerplant came back online Dec. 22, 2022, after being offline since mid-September 2022 while the main breaker replacement project was underway. The powerplant is controlled at the Glen Canyon Control Center. The project included replacing the bus work between the generators and the main transformer and the generator main breakers, and the work was completed by Gardner Zemke. The bus is a type of electrical junction in which all the incoming and outgoing electrical currents meet, where the electrical bus collects all the electric power at one location. The generator main breakers, much like circuit breakers in your home, shut off power if the overall load demand grows too high or if there is another serious problem in the electrical system. ![]() Though still operable, the bus system was in service since 1967 when the powerplant was originally connected to the grid, and the main breakers had been in service since 1989, so they were each due for maintenance and replacement. The original bus connections also held asbestos that need to be remediated safely and properly disposed of during the project. ![]() ![]() This is the first part of a larger project that includes breaker replacements at both Blue Mesa and Crystal powerplants; Crystal powerplant is scheduled to begin work on the project in February 2023. |
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A tractor driver clears the snow from the project site at Big Sandy Dam, Wyoming, so they can continue construction work on a project to rebuild many parts of the aging facility. Reclamation photo by Rick Long |
Neither Wyoming snow, nor wind, nor cold of night
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Vinelands Power Plant 4.5 MW generator. Reclamation photo by Matt Altman |
Western Colorado Area Office updateBy Justyn Liff, Western Colorado Area Public AffairsVinelands Power PlantConstruction on the Vinelands Power Plant in Palisade, Colorado concluded in November 2022 and the new power plant began operations November 16. Orchard Mesa Irrigation District and Grand Valley Water Users Association were the recipients of a lease of power privilege from Reclamation to build the new power plant which will produce 22,380 mega-watt hours (MWhr) a year (one MWhr is equivalent to the amount of electricity used by about 330 homes for one hour). Partnerships like these promote clean energy production and build on Reclamation's commitment to sustainable hydropower development and environmental stewardship. ![]() ANS decontamination stationsConstruction is underway on two new aquatic nuisance species (ANS) decontamination stations at Western Colorado Area Office reservoirs: the Dutch Charlie Campground at Ridgway Reservoir located near Ridgway, Colorado, and the Vallecito Marina at Vallecito Reservoir located northeast of Durango, Colorado. The new facilities will be permanent fixtures, housing instant water heaters and high-pressure pumps capable of performing more extensive decontamination measures to help eradicate ANS such as dreissenid mussels, which are a significant threat to Reclamation facilities. These prolific breeders not native to North America not only negatively affect the natural ecology of native fisheries, but also settle on or within water infrastructure and can fail water transmissions. The decontamination stations will serve all marine vessels utilizing each reservoir. Construction of both stations is scheduled to be complete in May 2023. To learn more about Reclamation's ANS Program visit: Invasive Mussels | Bureau of Reclamation (usbr.gov) Paradox updateThe Western Colorado Area Office recently resumed injection testing of the Paradox Valley Unit (PVU), a crucial salinity control facility for the Colorado River system. Continuation of the test started again January 23, and follows an initial six-month injection test used to determine the viability of the injection well and injection zone. Seismic data acquired during the initial test indicate lower rates of induced earthquakes and no unexpected seismic activity. As in the initial test, the test extension will continue at a reduced rate of 115 gallons per minute. Reclamation will continue to closely monitor seismicity and if unfavorable conditions are observed, the injection test will be suspended until it is deemed safe to continue. The test extension will continue until completion of a risk analysis in late 2023. |
In case you missed it: |
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100th Anniversary of the Colorado River CompactReclamation commemorates 100 years of collaboration in this video series about how the 1922 Colorado River compact became the Framework for Our Future. |
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