Status of Construction
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UNITED STATES DEPAR'.IMENT OF THE IN'IERIOR BUREAU OF RECLAMATION Regional Office, Region 4 Salt Lake City J.O, Utah RE.MARKS BY REGIONAL DIRECTOR E. O. LARSON BEFORE THE UPFER COLORADO RIVER COMMISSION AT CHEYENNE, WYOMING, MONDAY, SEPl'EMBER 2l, 1959 The F.t. 1960 appropriations by the Congress for the Upper Colorado River Basin are adequate to continue the construction activities now underway and include about $2-k million for 3 new participating project starts--the Hammond Project in New Mexico, Seedskadee Project in Wyoming, and Smith Fork Project in Colorado. The total. obligation program for construction on storage units and participating projects is $78,o80,032. In addition, $961,013 is available for advance planning and $915,654 for general. investigations. By comparison, the F.Y. 1959 obligation program was about 68 million dollars for construction. The authorized obl.igation program for continuing construction is as follows: $46.8 million for Glen Canyon, $12.9 million for Flaming Gorge, $10.l million for Navajo, $3.l million for Paonia Project, and $2.0 million for the Vernal Unit of the Central. Utah Project. Amounts included for the new participating projects are $487,000 for the Hammond Project, $1.3 million for the Seedskadee Project, and $487,000 for the Smith Fork Project. About $.764,ooo is available tor pre- construction work on the Transmission Division. STATUS OF CONSTRUCTION Generally speaking, construction of the storage units and participating projects has proceeded on schedule in F.Y. 1959. Contracts were awarded to begin construction on the Paonia Project and Vernal Unit, Central Utah Project, which were new starts in F.Y. 1959. Glen Canyon Unit Construction on the Glen Canyon Unit progressed well until the general strike which stopped all work on July 6, 1959. Since that date there has been no construction work on the prime contract for Glen Canyon Dam. The strike is now in its third month and we have no knowledge of any imminent settlement. The dispute, which resulted in the calling of the strike, is between the Merritt-Chapman and Scott Corporation and the 15 cra:fts of the Phoenix Building and Construction Trades Council and centers on the payment of $6 per day subsistence to the workers. At the time the strike was call.ed, about 30 percent o:f the prime contract work had been completed in 31 percent of the contract time. The diversion tunnels had been completed, the upstream diversion dam placed, and diversion o:f the river accomplished on February 11. Work was progress ing rapidly on construction of the large aggregate plant, the concrete batching plant, the refrigeration plant, the cableways strung from movable towers, and other facilities required to begin the placement of concrete in the dam. Excavation of the huge keyways was completed; drilling and lining of the spillway tunnels was underway; and rock excavation had begun on portions of the powerhouse foundation area. All work ceased with the calling o:f' the strike. At the present time the temporary diesel powerplant is operated to meet continuing needs for electrical energy, and the pumps are being operated to keep the foundation area of the dam from being flooded. In a dedication ceremoDY held on February 20, the Glen Canyon bridge was opened for public use. The l,200-foot gap between the canyon walls at the damsite has been eliminated as an obstacle in the 2 construction work at the dam, and the new bridge forms the final link in a new highway route between Utah and Arizona. The Federally-constructed facilities in the town of Page are essentially completed, and the details are now being worked out on plans for the sale of residential and commercial property to private individuals. Flaming Gorge Unit. Construction has advanced steadily at the Flaming Gorge Damsite so that by the end of August the Arch Dam Constructors had established their field facilities and had completed 13% of the prime contract construction work. The difficult road construction from Dutch John to the damsite at the crest of the dam and to the powerplant location on the canyon floor is completed and the roads are in use. The single diversion tunnel is completed, and it is anticipated that the Green River will be diverted through the tunnel about October l. The construction of the town of Dutch John is essentially completed. Work continues on the largest clearing contract awarded in Region 4--a $2.3 million job. The State of Utah bas completed and opened to public use a temporary highway bridge across the Green River above t,he damsite so that access is now provided from Vernal, Utah, on the south to Dutch John, Utah, and the Flaming Gorge Damsite. Navajo Unit The prime contractor has completed more than one-third of the work in buil.ding Navajo Dam in less than one-fourth of the scheduled contract time. A total of 6,840,000 cubic yards of earth materials .bas -)een placed in the dam; this is about 25% of the total volume of earth and rock to be placed in building Navajo Dam. 3 The lining and finishing of the outlet tunnel is nearing completion, and diversion of the San Juan River is planned for sometime in October. Paonia. Project Work under the prime contract :for Paonia Dam was started in February 1959 and is now about 28 percent complete. The difficult excavation for the relocation of Colorado State Highway 133 is completed. Excavation of the spillway area and of the diversion tunnel is also finished. The foundation area for the earth dam is being prepared for the placement of embankment materials, which rill probably not be started until next spring. Invitations for bids were issued September 18 for placing compacted earth lining and installing tile underdrains in various reaches of the Fire Mountain Canal. About six months will be required to complete this particular job. Vernal Unit, Central Utah Project Following the ground-breaking ceremony held on May 14, the contractor moved in immediately on the construction of Stanaker Dam. Foundation stripping, placing of some embankment material, and excavation of outlet tunnel are underway. The relocation of the existing Rockpoint Canal and Utah State Highway 44 has been accomplished. Eden Project Construction of the many :features of the Eden Project is practically completed; a little final work on two contracts is all that remains to be done. All of the farm units on the new lands have been purchased by settlers, and next year a total of about 17,500 acres of suppl.emental and neu lands will be in production. Minimum basic 4 public use facilities were constructed by the Bureau of Reclamation at the Big Sandy Reservoir this year. Included a.re picnicking and sanitary facilities, a boa.tramp, and the access road and parking area. Maintenance and administration of the recreational aspects of the project have been ta.ken over by .the Wyoming State Parks Commission. Collbran Project Vega Dam and Reservoir, including the necessary road relocations and minimum recreational :facilities, a.re essentiaJ.ly compJ..eted. The Southside tunnel, which will carry water to the Southside Canal to serve the project area, has been drilled, and pl.acing of the concrete lining started early in June. Contracts were awarded and construction started this year on the first section of the Southside Canal, the Upper and Lower Molina powerplants, and the Bonham and Cottonwood pipeline, which will. carry water to these powerplants. NEW PARTICIPATING PROJECTS Hammond Project, New Mexico The Hammond Project will serve 3,900 acres of new lands to be subdivided into from 20 to 30 full-time family-sized farms. The estimated construction cost of the Hammond Project is $3,280,000 and the benefit-cost ratio is 2.l to 1. The Ha.nnnond Project repayment contract was approved as to form in May by the Secretary of the Interior and forwarded to the Hammond Conservancy District early in June. Some questions have been raised by the District concerning water rights and the provisions for handling water shortages. Steps are being taken to resolve these matters so that acceptance and execution of the contract is anticipated soon. 5 Award of the prime contract and start of construction on the Main Canal are scheduled for F.Y. 1960; also scheduled is the completion of field engineering data for the Hammond Diversion dam and pumping plant with the issuance of specifications and award of contracts in Fiscal Year 1961. Seedskadee Project, Wyoming The Seedskadee Project will provide a full water supply to 58,775 acres of new lands. 1lhe water supply will be obtained from the Fontenelle Dam and Reservoir to be constructed on the Green River. About 100 miles o~ canals and 160 miles of laterals will be constructed in the distribution system which will convey water from the reservoir to the farm units. The estimated construction cost of the Seedskadee Project is $38,519,000 and the ratio of benefits to cost is 1.4 to 1. The Seedsk.adee Definite Plan Report has been completed and was forwarded to the Secretary of the Interior on May 21, 1959. The repay- ment contract for the Seedslra.dee Project is not required prior to construc tion. In this connection, Section 4 of Public Law 485 states that "prior to construction of irrigation distribution facilities, repa:yment contracts shall be made with an 'organization' ••• , exeept where a substantial proportion of the lands to be served are owned by the United States." At the present time, about 65 percent of the irrigable project lands is Federally-owned public domain and it is proposed that nearly all of the remaining project acreage will be obtained for the project by a land exchang We propose to award the ].Jrime contract f'or Fontenelle Dam so that construction can be started in the Fiscal Year 196o.