Many states will receive funds to upgrade water infrastructure projects, like $9.6 million for rehabilitation at Elephant Butte Recreation Area.
(New Mexico Department of Transportation photo)
New Mexico is poised to receive more than $30 million in federal funding for water infrastructure projects.
The U.S. Department of the Interior announced recently that $585 million of funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will be spent on 83 projects in 11 states, including six New Mexico projects.
The projects in New Mexico are on the Rio Grande and include:
- $7.1 million for upgrades to the Bonita lateral at Caballo Dam;
- $1.78 million to repair a restaurant patio at the Elephant Butte Historic District Recreation Area;
- $3.39 million to rehabilitate roads and parking lots at the same recreation area;
- $9.6 million for water infrastructure rehabilitation at Elephant Butte Recreation Area;
- $4 million to repair damaged concrete at the base of El Vado Dam;
- $4.5 million for a study about improvements in the Lower San Acacia Reach of the Rio Grande that are intended to "improve water conveyance, maintain or increase habitat available to endangered species and improve cost-effectiveness of operation and maintenance actions."
These investments come as decades of drought have strained water resources in the western United States.
Federal officials toured the Imperial Dam in California and Arizona, where they announced the new investments in infrastructure.
"The president knows that you can't have a strong country without strong infrastructure," White House Infrastructure Implementation Coordinator Mitch Landrieu said during a press conference. He said, in the west, that means having strong water infrastructure.
Several projects that will benefit New Mexico are listed under Colorado's on the official sheet. These projects cross state lines. This includes $1.5 million to remove and replace the Azotea Tunnel outlet on the San Juan-Chama Project. The San Juan-Chama Project starts in Colorado and moves water from the Colorado River Basin to the Rio Grande Basin through a series of tunnels, including the Azotea Tunnel. The outlet of the Azotea Tunnel is on Jicarilla Apache land near Chama. This provides access to Colorado River Basin water for municipalities like Albuquerque.
The Animas-La Plata Project also is on the list as a Colorado project. The project will receive $10.8 million. This will be used to cover design, construction, compliance and commissioning costs for the Navajo Nation municipal pipeline. The Animas-La Plata Project includes Lake Nighthorse, which is located in Durango, Colo. Water that will benefit the Navajo Nation is stored in Lake Nighthorse. Currently, the only way to get water from Lake Nighthorse to Navajo Nation is to release it from the headgates into the Animas River. That leads to potential water losses to seepage into the soil, evaporation and potential diversion.
Colorado's lists of projects also includes $56 million to finalize planning, design and construction of a treatment plant for mine waste from the Leadville mine drainage tunnel and a chemical storage building.
A full list of projects that will receive funding can be found at https://www.usbr.gov/bil/docs/infrastructure/FY-2023-Aging-Infrastructure-Projects.pdf.
Arizona
Colorado River Front Work, Levee System: Arizona Palo Verde Division Bankline Road Repair
Reclamation Funding: $7.04M
Rehabilitate approximately 4 mi. of gravel road with new aggregate base from the Cibola Oxbow Bridge to Farmers Bridge.
Brock Reservoir Forebay/Afterbay Inlet
Gates Rehabilitation/Replacement
Reclamation Funding: $10.2M
Pending nondestructive testing, either replace all gates and frames or implement operation and maintenance recommendations to replace bronze seats, refurbish frames and leafs, install cathodic protection and coat metal. Planned funding reflects rehabilitation by implementing recommendations.
Yuma Project: High Density Poly Ethelene Pipe Replacement for Yuma County Water Users Drainage System
Reclamation Funding: $6.5M
This project will fund all or part of the replacement of aging and failed HDPE advanced drainage system pipe that was installed during the expansion of Highway 95 in the Yuma area (during the mid1990s). This pipe has consistently failed, resulting in leaks, which reach the surface in many cases and require unplanned outages of the system to make expedient repairs.
Laguna Dam Settling Basin Dredging
Reclamation Funding: $4M
This project will fund partial dredging of the Laguna Dam Settling Basin.
Colorado
Leadville Mine Drainage Tunnel: Leadville Treatment Plant Construction of Mine
Drainage Water Treatment Facility and Chemical Storage Building
Reclamation Funding: $56M
Funding will finalize planning, design and subsequent construction.
San Juan-Chama Project: Upper Colorado River Storage Project Azotea Tunnel Outlet Transition and Drop Structures
Reclamation Funding: $1.5M
Remove and replace the Azotea Tunnel outlet transition and remove and replace the four existing drop structures due to degradation.
Animas La-Plata Project: Navajo Nation Municipal Pipeline
Reclamation Funding: $10.8M
Design/construction/compliance/commissioning cost of the new alignment, to mitigate risk of future slide damage, for the Navajo Nation municipal pipeline.
New Mexico
Rio Grande Project: Caballo Dam and Reservoir Bonita Lateral Upgrade
Reclamation Funding: $7.1M
Rio Grande — Bonita Lateral Upgrade Assessment will be made of the life expectancy of the Bonita pipe. If determined necessary, the remaining funds will be used for replacement or relining of pipe as recommended by the evaluation.
Rio Grande Project: Elephant Butte Historic District Recreation Area Restaurant, Patio
Reclamation Funding: $1.78M
Complete study, design and estimate to fix the restaurant patio. Construction to repair foundation, drainage, building, roof, solar panels, etc.
Rio Grande Project: Elephant Butte Historic District Roads and Parking Lots
Rehabilitation Reclamation Funding: $3.39M
Rehabilitation of Elephant Butte Historic District interior roads and parking lots. This project includes all of the interior roads and parking lots at the historic district.
Rio Grande Project: Elephant Butte Recreation Area Water Infrastructure Rehab
Reclamation Funding: $9.6M
Remove existing cast iron piles, reroute water lines to bypass old tanks, install a lift station, three new low profile tanks, upgrade distribution system lines.
Middle Rio Grande Project: El Vado Dam and Reservoir Repair
Reclamation Funding: $4M
Repair damaged concrete at the base of the El Vado Dam outlet works stilling basin to prevent additional damage.
Middle Rio Grande Project: Rio Grande Channelization Lower San Acacia Reach Improvements
Reclamation Funding: $4.5M
This project is extraordinary maintenance of existing assets to improve water conveyance, maintain or increase habitat available to endangered species and improv cost-effectiveness of operation and maintenance actions. Funding is provided to complete a planning study
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