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<br />':1 <br />.. <br />" <br /> <br />] <br />";:1 <br />'d <br />.j <br />'1 <br /> <br />':':i <br /> <br />.1 <br />-, <br /> <br />i <br />~. , <br />,:.1 <br /> <br />~;.:i <br /> <br />'-' <br />;:;j <br /> <br />~.~. <br /> <br />'-' <br /> <br />.:, <br /> <br />., <br /> <br />'::1 <br />~, <br /> <br />1998 report 10 the Rio Grande Compact Commission <br /> <br />Bureau of Reclamation <br /> <br />Abiquiu reservoir needed to be held at approximately at an elevation of 6,210 ft from <br />July through October, so equipment to pump over the dam during gate repairs could be <br />installed. Therefore, EI Vado was called upon to directly operate for demands, instead <br />of using Abiquiu through borrow and payback. MRGCD requested mostly Rio Grande <br />water from EI Vado, which was passed through Abiquiu. The customary weekend- <br />high, weekday-low Rio Chama rafting schedule on the Rio Chama was replaced with a <br />consistently higher, but irregular, demand-based flow schedule. <br /> <br />Beginning in late-October and continuing through year-end, deliveries of 1998 Heron <br />allocations for various SJ-C contractors were conducted. Releases from Heron <br />Reservoir ranged from 327 af to 446 af during these months. Releases from EI Vado <br />were simply a flow through of 1998 Heron allocations being delivered to Abiquiu, and <br />were held at a constant 331 af during this period, which provided an incidental benefit <br />of winter fishery flows. <br /> <br />During the year, a total of 7,105 af of stored water was reserved in EI Vado Reservoir <br />for potential use by the Six Southern Pueblos on their prior and paramount water right <br />lands. The Pueblos made no call for it in 1998. <br /> <br />Review of Operations and Maintenance (RO&M) Program <br /> <br />In 1998, there was only one misoperation of the EI Vado Dam gates. This occurred on <br />June 1. When the power plant gates shut down, it also shut down Reclamation's <br />gates. The problem was fixed by rewiring the automatic controls for Reclamation's <br />gates. Steps were also taken to install an Remote Terminal Unit to allow <br />Reclamation's Chama Field Division Office to have independent operations <br />communication with Reclamation's outlet works gates. With this, Reclamation can <br />operate their gates from Chama independently of the Los Alamo's County's <br />communications system and thus allow more timely responses to such incidents. <br /> <br />EI Vado Dam has had considerable deterioration and corrosion in the steel plates that <br />line the spillway as well as the steel bracing for the plates. Repairs on the more critical <br />sections were made before spring runoff in 1998. More repairs will be needed. <br />Another concern is the condition of the spillway bridge. An inspection is currently <br />scheduled for 1999. <br /> <br />River Maintenance <br /> <br />The Albuquerque Area Office's responsibility for Rio Grande channel operation and <br />maintenance involves that part of the river from Velarde, New Mexico, to the narrows of <br />Elephant Butte Reservoir, and from Elephant Butte Dam to Caballo Reservoir. <br /> <br />In the San Marcial area above the headwaters of Elephant Butte, a river channel <br />avulsion project was undertaken by Reclamation in September of 1998. The project <br />involved the relocation of the existing river channel along a new course to protect the <br />current levee system and promote new habitat development within the floodplain. This <br />was accomplished by clearing a swath of salt cedar vegetation and excavating. a pilot <br /> <br />-11- <br />