The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) has announced that work will begin on El Vado Dam, located on the Rio Chama in northern New Mexico.
The bureau awarded CARPI USA Inc. with Phase 1 of the contract, a recent USBR press release said. The Phase 1 construction, estimated to be approximately $31 million, includes lowering the reservoir storage to grout that’s located behind the steel faceplate and installing a geomembrane over the face of the dam.
“We have spent many years studying and closely monitoring El Vado Dam, as safety is our top priority,” Jennifer Faler, Albuquerque area manager, said in the release. “Now, in partnership with the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District, we are prepared to restore the dam’s ability to safely store much needed irrigation water for the Middle Rio Grande Valley.”
The repairs were announced in a November KRQE news report. The dam will be out of use for approximately one year.
The water that is stored at El Vado Reservoir is used by district residents and also to meet the priority needs of the Six Middle Rio Grande Pueblos; including Cochiti, Isleta, Sandia, Santa Ana, San Felipe and Santo Domingo; the release said. The district will pay 15% of the cost and the federal government will pay 85%.
Phase 1 has a target completion date of the end of 2023, the release said. Phase 2 of construction, which will replace the spillway and the bridge located next to the dam, is scheduled to start in 2024. The highway that runs above the dam will be closed during Phase 2.
