The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation announced this week that it has halted its work on El Vado Reservoir in northern New Mexico.
The Bureau of Reclamation began work on safety upgrades at the facility in 2022. During construction, the reservoir has been unable to store water for the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District, which has contributed to the drying of the Rio Grande in the Albuquerque area. According to the Bureau of Reclamation, work is underway to find alternative storage options.
The work that began in 2022 required a lower reservoir water level so that a contractor could install a foundation grout curtain along the left abutment and could grout behind the steel faceplate and attach a geomembrane liner to it.
The work on El Vado stopped in March due to what the Bureau of Reclamation describes as “unforeseen field conditions which posed numerous and unexpected challenges.”
The decision to end construction of El Vado centers around the steel faceplate. El Vado is one of only a few dams in the world that uses a steel faceplate, which serves as the principal barrier and ensures the dam’s efficiency.
Crews began work in 2022 to modify the dam in an effort to reduce risk of failure related to seepage as well as failure of the spillway. But, as the work progressed, the crews discovered that the steel faceplate and its underlying supports are in worse condition than officials originally believed. Due to their condition, the steel faceplate and its supports cannot be relied upon while upgrading the dam.
That discovery led the Bureau of Reclamation to halt work on the dam and begin reassessing future actions.
“We started construction of the least cost viable alternative, but our experience during construction was that the alternative would not be effective in resolving our concerns,” Bureau of Reclamation’s Upper Colorado Basin Regional Director Wayne Pullan said in a press release. “As a result, we are stopping construction on the ineffective alternative and working with Reclamation’s Technical Service Center and dam safety experts to develop new effective alternatives to address safety concerns and restore El Vado’s ability to safely store much-needed irrigation water for the Middle Rio Grande Valley. We are doing the right thing.”
The Bureau of Reclamation is developing a reservoir storage and monitoring criteria to help determine if some of the water can be safely stored in El Vado until officials have found long-term alternatives to repairing the dam.
The Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District is limited by the Rio Grande Compact in where it can store water and currently, the compact does not allow for an alternative irrigation storage location.
“Conversations with the necessary entities have already begun and we will continue to do everything within our power to assist the MRGCD with determining the best alternative options for water storage while these restrictions remain at El Vado,” Reclamation’s Albuquerque Area Office Manager Jennifer Faler said in a press release. “We understand that this lengthened timeline is difficult news, especially for members of the community who rely on irrigation, but taking shortcuts is not the prudent path and we need to take the time to do this right.”
In a statement, the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District CEO Jason Casuga said that the district is aware that the Bureau of Reclamation has suspended construction on the dam.
“El Vado Dam plays a critical role in the irrigation operations in the Middle Rio Grande Valley and we are disheartened and frustrated to hear that the rehabilitation project is not going as planned,” Casuga said. “Farmers, residents, and recreators throughout the District should be aware that the MRGCD is actively working with Reclamation and other partner agencies in New Mexico to identify alternate storage for native Rio Grande water while El Vado Dam remains inaccessible.”
