WSP10134

• File Number: 8510.100.40
• Description: Rio Grande Compact Commission
• Basin: Rio Grande
• Water Division: 3
• Date: 1/1/1998
• Title: Report of the Civil Works Activities of the Albuquerque District Corps Engineers in the Rio Grande Basin During Calendar Year 1997
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Report/Study

'1

m
0)
li'
'"""
l::;")
,-,
'-_0'

Storage of San Juan-Chama water in Abiquiu Reservoir on December 31,1996 was 149,832
acre-feet. On December 31, 1997 San Juan-Chama storage was 166,469 acre-feet. The following
table shows the ownership of San Juan-Chama water on both dates in acre-feet.

Entity
City of Albuquerque
Department of Energy
Town ofEspaiio1a
City and County of Santa Fe
Town of Taos
Twining Water and Sanitation District
Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District
Total

31 December 96
141,633
1,490
1,242
5,449
o
18
~
149,832

31 December 97
158,926
1,391
1,159
2,977
o
17
2000
166,469

c. Platoro Reservoir. There was no flood control pre-evacuation at Platoro in 1997. The
reservoir reached a maximum elevation for the year of 10,019.94 feet with 46,743 acre-feet of
storage on June 23.

d. Programatic Consultations. The Corps and Reclamation are jointly consuhing with the
Service regarding multi-year water operations and river maintenance activities in the Middle Rio
Grande. A biological assessment is being prepared which will evaluate the effects on listed species
of water operations in dry, average, and wet years and projected river maintenance activities over the
next few years. The goal is to identify measures that can be implemented to conserve and protect
listed species consistent with the Rio Grande Compact and other laws. The biological assessment will
be submitted to the Service in early April.

3. PLANNING AND DESIGN.
a. Middle Rio Grande Flood Protection. Bernalillo to Belen New Mexico. The authorized
project consists of removing and reconstructing 51.5 miles of existing spoil bank levees along the Rio
Grande and providing a 270-year level of protection to developed areas north and south of
Albuquerque. Due to limited funds, the sponsor, the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District, has
requested that the project be constructed as two separable units, the Corrales Unit and the Belen Unit.

The first unit, the Corrales Unit, is located just north of Albuquerque. Construction of the
Corrales Unit was completed in July 1997. Mitigation for the project includes the planting of7,300
cottonwood poles within the bosque along the river.

The second unit of the Middle Rio Grande Project is the Belen Unit, which is located south of
Albuquerque. A Limited Reevaluation Report (LRR) is in progress and is scheduled to be completed
for public review in September 1998. This project also consists of the reconstruction of the existing
spoil bank levees along both banks of the Rio Grande. The project begins just upstream of the
Highway 147 bridge over the Rio Grande at the Isleta Indian Pueblo, and continues downstream for

2