WSP04921 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

The San Luis Valley Project, Closed Basin Division, is a water salvage project being constructed in the Closed Basin area of the San Luis Valley, Colorado. Its purpose is to assist Colorado in meeting its obligation under the Rio Grande Compact, make water available for fulfilling the United States' obligation to Mexico in accordance with the Treaty of 1906, and to provide water to the Alamosa Wildlife Refuge and the c---Blan~aIWI1~llfe-Haoitat Area. I" ~ , 1 I I ~ ;.~ I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I ,~: ~:~ ,- ".Q 3564 The project will be operated by the PMSC and monitored by operators. Ground water hydrologists will review and analyze the data from the observation well network and prov~de recommendations to the operators for operation in compliance with the authorizing legislation. The Water Quality Laboratory staff will collect samples and test for compliance with Rio Grande Compact and Colorado Stream Standards. The Project chemist will make recommendations for operation in compliance with water quality regulations. ~~~ The project's overall operation will be monitored by a three-person operating committee. This committee consists of a member from the Rio Grande Water Conservation District, Colorado Water Conservation Board, and Bureau of Reclamation. They will review operating records and water accounting records for compliance with authorizing legislation. The water accounting and hydrology work will be performed by upper Rio Grande Projects Offices in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Maintenance of the physical features of the project will be performed by Bureau of Reclamation using equipment purchased for the project. The power system maintenance will be contracted out, as will electric motor and pump repair and rebuilding. The PMSC is being supplied by Sutron Corporation and the contract includes a maintenance agreement. The roads, canals, pipelines, and wells will be maintained by project personnel. The canal was designed for and will be operated year around. Cleaning of the canal will be accomplished using a Mud Cat dredge. Most of the cleaning will consist of removal of wind blown sand and debris. Rotation schedules are being set up for the routine maintenance and inspection of the project facilities. The project will maintain inventories of spate pumps and motors, RTUs,'well cOmponents, electrical components, PVC canal lining materials, and stockpiles of cover material and gravel road surfacing for use in emergencies and routine maintenance. These inventories were provided as part of the construction contracts. SUMMARY , The project was formulated as a ground water salvage project to pump water from a shallow unconfined aquifer that is currently being lost through evapotranspiration in the Closed Basin. It consists of a large well field covering about 130,000 acres, a buried pipeline collection system, an open channel delivery system, associated control and electrical system and an observation well network.