Summer 2013 RECLAMATIONManaging Water in the West Plains Talk NEWS FROM THE GREAT PLAINS REGION

Alcova - Best Small Recreation Reservoir: WYAO’s Facility Sees 100,000 Vistor Days Title XVI Greens Dell Diamond Stadium: OTAO’s Water Reuse Program Garners Results Water Rights: A 21st Century Issue with Ancient Roots Plains Talk Issue 01-2013: contents PUBlISHER Tyler Johnson 1 The Evolution of Water Rights “We do not know the value of water as long as the well isn’t dry. -Thomas Fuller, Gnomologia, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF 1732. Buck Feist ASSISTANT EDITOR 3 Montana’s “Fitness Animals!!” Sterling Rech “In an office setting, it’s easy to become complacent and lazy, but once I clip on the MTAO pedometer I become a Reclamation “Fitness Animal,” said Anthony Chavez, Administrative GRAPHICS Support Assistant, MTAO. Jerry leggate Tobias Taylor 4 Head Covers: Overhauling the Estes NEWSPAPER TEAM Paula Holwegner, Montana Power Plant Patience Hurley, Dakotas Jay Dallman, Wyoming The head covers at Estes are the originals, installed in the late 1940s. After 60-plus years of Kara lamb, Colorado work, they leak. Kimberley Parish, Oklahoma & Texas Nancy Wilson, Nebraska & Kansas 6 Finding Water Information on the GP Internet Plains Talk is an employee publication devoted to the in- Critical water information and more available with the click of a mouse. terests of Reclamation’s Great Plains Region. Plains Talk is published from the Great 8 Alcova Reservoir - Best Small Recreation Plains Office of Public Affairs. To be added to the Plains Talk Reservoir in the West mailing list, submit your name and mailing address: “We experienced over 100,000 visitor days in 2010,” said Mike Haigler, NCRBP. “By 2030, we expect to see nearly 130,000 visitor days.” Bureau of Reclamation U.S. Department of the Interior 316 North 26th Street 10 Joint Venture with the Joint Board Billings, MT 59101 Phone: 406-247-7610 “We are tremendously happy with the success we’ve been experiencing conducting these Email: [email protected] repairs in this manner,” said Kay Blatter, President of the Milk River Joint Board of Control.”

Submission Guidelines: 12 Fremont Canyon Power Plant Turbine Articles and other materials for publication should be sent to Overhaul the Great Plains Public Affairs Office, Attn: Plains Talk Editor, Reclamation responds to cavitation issues on Fremont Canyon Power plant turbines. GP-1240, or email to bfeist@ usbr.gov. 14 Title XVI Greens Dell Diamond Stadium Plains Talk encourages em- ployee submissions, and as- Innovative water management techniques provide 2,500 acre-feet per year of reclaimed water sists with developing ideas. to various customers throughout the city. Questions about stories or photographic essays should be directed to the Plains Talk edi- tor, at 406-247-7610.

Cover: The Code of Hammurabi is a well-pre- served Babylonian law code, dating back to about 1772 B.C. Water Rights, p. 1 contents 15 Jamestown Dam Saves Taxpayers $200M Jamestown Dam was completed in 1954 and has since provided benefits for flood control, irrigation, recreation, and fish and wildlife. 16 Information Portal: GP Intranet Employees receive exclusive access to features like blog posts, a question of the week, links to training schedules, the DOI learn portal, and a host of other tools that help simplify internal Web navigation. Alcova Recreation, p. 8 18 OTAO Demonstrates Potential Desalination Solutions in Texas

Reclamation engineers demonstrate a new way to treat both seawater and brackish groundwater. 20 Great Plains Region, Steady as She Goes ... “I was please with the results this year,” said Ryan. “It was encouraging to see that GP is holding our own during challenging times and continues to maintain the hard-won progress from previous years.” Jamestown Dam, p. 15 22 DKAO Battles Ice and Flood to Restore Habitat Benefits

A repaired trash fish barrier helps promote growth of native water vegetation for water fowl downstream of Arrowood National Wildlife Refuge.

24 Change in Weather

“In places above Green Mountain, Granby, and Reudi reservoirs, we had snow pack numbers coming into March that didn’t even make 60 percent of average.” Fish Barrier, p. 22 26 GP Celebrates Admin Support Professionals Nearly 50 employees attended the 2013 GPASC conference, which recognizes the valuable work of administrative professionals across the region.

27 Red Willow Set for Fall 2013 Completion THE EVOLUTION OF WATER RIGHTS Whiskey Is for Drinking; Water is for Fighting

(Above) Scratching a living from the arid grasslands of the American West often led to conflicts over water between neighbors - and sometimes between states. National Guard units and militias have been mobilized to protect water sources in the past, and a sound legal framework plays a crucial role in regulating the use and control of water. By Buck Feist, GPRO treaties, federally reserved water water is the most vital element for rights, interstate compacts and short-term human survival. But “We do not know the value of state laws. while air is ubiquitous, access to water as long as the well isn’t All four methods impact water water is limited and supplies are dry.” operations in the nine-state Great finite. -Thomas Fuller, Gnomologia, 1732 Plains Region. The earliest example of codified “Water rights are critical to responsibilities and penalties re- Water rights are primordial. Reclamation operations,” said lated to water management sprang Since the era of the woolly mam- Mike Ryan, Great Plains Regional from the cradle of civilization, the moth, humans have been devel- Director. “Water rights impact Mesopotamia valley. The Code of oping and refining the customs, every citizen in the United States, Hammurabi is a set of Babylonian laws, practices and precedents whether they realize it or not.” laws dating back to 1772 B.C. governing the use and control of The Code is among the most water. The Advent of Codified Water ancient texts in the world. The In the United States, water Rights: sixth Babylonian king, Hammu- rights are governed by an over- In purely biological terms, water rabi, enacted the Code, which was lapping network of international is fundamental to life. Next to air, carved onto an eight-foot-high black stone monument for public viewing. The laws defined the most serious crimes and punishments, including the regulation of irriga- tion, water theft and the mainte- nance of weirs and canals. As the global population has increased from about a million people at the dawn of the Neolith- ic Era, 12,000 years ago, to more than 7 billion today, the laws, cus- toms and practices regulating the use and distribution of water have become more complex and more vital to the peaceful functioning of society.

Water Rights: Still the Law of the Land The concept of establishing water rights developed from the generally held idea of protecting the public interest to encourage economic development and pre- vent waste. There are two types of water right systems in the United States: the riparian doctrine and the ap- propriation doctrine. The riparian doctrine originated in England, and is suitable to a hu- mid climate where supply exceeds demand. Not surprisingly, the ripar- ian doctrine was adopted in the eastern United States. The riparian (Above) The Code of Hammurabi (1772 BC) is among the most ancient doctrine grants rights to use water examples of codified water law. A nearly complete example of the Code based on land ownership along a survives today on a 7.4 ft diorite stele on display at the Louvre Museum in stream with equal rights to water Paris, France. SOURCE: WIKIMEDIA COMMONS use among land owners. Reminiscent of the mining days, the riparian and appropriation Beneficial use, not land owner- many older water rights have doctrines is generally the east- ship, is the basis under the appro- the flow rate in units of miners- ern boundary of the Great Plains priation doctrine. Priority of date inches. In Montana, for instance, Region. of initiation of use, not equality of 40 miners-inches equal one-cubic- Appropriative water rights are right, is the basis of allocation of foot per second. property rights. They have the water when supply is not suffi- same character of ownership as Water Rights in the Great Plains cient to meet demand. a house or car. The rights can be Region: The West was first settled by bought or sold, with some limita- All states in Great Plains Region miners and the appropriation tions depending on location. follow the appropriation doctrine. doctrine evolved in a similar man- The predominate characteristic The demarcation line between ner as applied to mining claims. of the appropriation doctrine is page 1 that water rights can be adminis- In Wyoming and Nebraska, state Water rights associated with tered or regulated when supply is water agency personnel adminis- Reclamation projects are owned not sufficient to meet demand. ter water rights. by water-user entities such as This means that during water In Montana, a majority of water irrigation districts, municipalities shortages, a water right with a ju- users on a source of water supply and conservancy districts; held nior priority date may be prevent- must petition a state district court jointly by the water user entities ed from diverting water, so a more to appoint a water commission to and Reclamation; or held solely senior priority water right has suf- administer water rights. by Reclamation. ficient water to meet their demand Some river systems in the region Of the 800 water rights associ- or beneficial use – in other words, have water rights administered ev- ated with Great Plains Region “first in time, first in right.” ery year, while some river systems projects, about one-half are The appropriation doctrine is never have water rights adminis- owned by water user entities. sometimes referred to as the prior tered. Water rights used to divert appropriation doctrine. “Even though water rights are water from the stream and used Congress recognized the vital regulated by the states, the on- immediately for the intended nature of water rights in Section the-ground implications of those purpose are usually held by 8 of the Reclamation Act of 1902, rights vary by basin, even within water-user entities or owned which states: “Nothing in this state boundaries,” said Coleman jointly. act shall be construed as affect- Smith, Wyoming Area Manager. Water rights used to divert ing or intended to affect or to in “For example, disputes over water to storage are usually held any way interfere with the laws water rights in the Wind/Bighorn by Reclamation. of any State or Territory relat- Basin tend to be less contentious Great Plains Region projects ing to the control, appropriation, than in the North Platte Basin, are frequently the dominant use, or distribution of water used since the North Platte is consid- facilities on their water sources in irrigation or any vested right ered over-appropriated,” Smith because of the size, and scope of acquired there under, and the Sec- said. influence of those facilities. retary of the Interior, in carrying The nine states where the Great Some projects have water out the provisions of this act, shall Plains Region operates each have rights that are very senior in proceed in conformity with such different laws and processes for priority, but some of the later laws…” granting, perfecting and admin- projects are very junior in prior- Reclamation interprets Section istering water rights. However, ity relative to other water rights 8 to mean that the United States because the states all follow the on that source. is to comply with the substantive appropriation doctrine, there are As the global population in- and procedural provisions of state common elements of water rights creases and escalating demands law in the construction and opera- across the region. are placed upon our water re- tion of Reclamation projects by Each water right is defined by sources, the administration and acquiring water rights under the a priority date, source of water, understanding of water rights are laws of the state where a project is quantity (such as a flow rate or vital to towns, cities and farms located. volume), purpose of use, point of across the United States. To that end, there are approxi- diversion, place of use and period Reclamation devotes consider- mately 800 water rights associated of use. able resources to protecting the with Reclamation projects in the Each state recognizes that ben- federal investment in the nation’s Great Plains Region. State admin- eficial use is the basis, measure projects. One element of protect- istration procedures vary across and limit of a water right. ing the taxpayer investment is the region. There are two primary differ- protecting project water rights to In Colo., the State Engineers ences in water right laws and pro- ensure project water rights get Office administers the water rights cesses among the states, such as the full benefit they are entitled under decrees from the Colorado ownership of the water right and to within each respective state. Water Court. how water rights are administered. page 2 Montana’s “Fitness Animals!!”

Montana Area Office employees (left to right) Kevin Wilkerson, Gail Williams and Anthony Chavez participated in MTAO’s employee health challenge. The health challenge is an area office initiative designed to encourage employees to stay active and make healthy decisions. By Paula Holwegner, MTAO Gail Williams, Supply Technician, said, “I decided to enter this Fitness challenge for two reasons: I be- On Feb. 1, several Montana Area Office (MTAO) lieve in healthy living and I used to work out and run employees strapped on pedometers and started walk- regularly. I’ve been trying to find a way to get moti- ing as part of an office-wide fitness challenge. During vated again and this seemed like a good opportunity. the competition, which ran from Feb. to the end of I think being involved in things that bring together April, employees logged their weekly mileage. employees and encourage interaction outside the daily “I found that wearing the pedometer is an excellent work duties of our jobs creates a nicer work environ- reminder to be more active,” said Anthony Chavez, ment and better relationships between coworkers.” Administrative Support Assistant. “In an office set- In addition to getting folks thinking about the little ting, it’s easy to become complacent and lazy, but things they can do to get healthy, this challenge has once I clip on the MTAO pedometer I become a Rec- been a lot of fun for the employees who participate. lamation ‘Fitness Animal,’ seeking out calories to Whether Gail, Anthony, and Kevin end up being top burn and new ways to get more Reclamation employ- competitors or not, they have shared a lot of health tips ees involved in fitness. I have learned from my time and laughs, but most importantly, they are much more in the military that a healthy employee is a productive active than before they started. employee.” page 3 Head Covers: Overhauling the Estes Power Plant

By Kara Lamb, ECAO as it is removed from the Unit. Any component found to have For three days, Otis Canard defects is assessed for repair or and I went back and forth on replacement.” how to best explain language At Estes, the turbine runners used in power plant maintenance (the blades of the turbine) were to a layperson. known from prior inspection to For someone who does not have significant wear. The same work full time in Operations & was true of the head covers. Maintenance, it can be a chal- Head covers are the mechani- lenge to translate technical terms cal part of a unit sealing the top into general language. For those of the turbine, “like the cylinder in the plants and engineering, head on a car engine,” Steketee the technical meanings are in- said. nate, as obvious as the task at Headcovers cap the turbine, hand. which consists of the scroll case The current task at hand for (the piping through which water the Estes Power plant in Estes flows to make the unit spin), Park, Colo., where Canard is the the throttle assembly, the runner Logistics Management Special- (where the turbine blades are ist, is the overhaul of all three housed), the draft tube (which hydro-electric generating units. carries the water out of the unit), In October 2012, Reclamation and more. began disassembling each of The head covers at Estes are the units, one per year, starting originals, installed in the late with Unit #3. ECAO is working 1940s. After 60-plus years of closely with Tennessee Valley work, they leak. Authority, the contractor on the “The head covers are too big project. for us to machine here,” Canard “We’re going by ‘Discoveries’ said. “Once we pull them out, and then machining the run- TVA takes them back to Ala- ners and the head covers,” said bama, puts them on a giant lathe Canard. that spins slowly while a cutting But what does that mean, device reshapes their sides and exactly—especially to some- surfaces, ‘machining’ them.” one who doesn’t do that type of While TVA handles the head work, every day? covers, the crew at Estes does “Discoveries,” explained the rest of the work. mechanical engineer, Edward This includes overhauling the Steketee, “is a system of disas- generator cooling system and sembly where every compo- TVA personnel remove the grease system brakes, testing the stator and ro- on the head covers. nent is cleaned and inspected tor, the power cables out of the page 4 unit, the connections to the out- erator. It weighs about 9,500 lbs. and power customers. side transformer, and performing The lower bearing bracket weighs “So far, none of those outages high voltage ramp testing. 6,300 lbs. are affecting water deliveries,” The local crew is also respon- “And the list goes on!” said Carlos said. sible for all the heavy lifting. Canard. Possible loss of power gen- The generating units at Estes are Once these pieces and others eration was an early concern. “stacked” meaning the generator are removed, the head covers are Through close coordination and sits atop the turbine. extracted. Each piece is examined thanks largely to the redundancy Water enters and spins the for structural soundness, repaired of the three units at the plant, turbine, which in turn spins the (if needed), machined, and put power production has continued generator. A large magnet inside aside until all the work is com- smoothly. the generator creates an electrical plete. “Basically, when one of the field as it spins, generating elec- Upon each head cover’s return three units is down for the over- tricity. from Alabama, each unit is reas- haul, the Casper Control Center To reach the head covers and sembled with its overhauled parts just brings one of the other ones runners inside the turbine, near ready to generate electricity again on-line,” said Tim Miller, who

(Above, left) Unit #3 runner is removed for repair. (Right) Unit #3 after repairs and coating. the bottom, the whole unit has to for another 60 years. also schedules the C-BT. be unstacked, one piece at a time, The broader ECAO team col- “It has worked well so far,” starting with the generator. laborated for the project to come agreed John Gierard, Civil Engi- With TVA’s assistance in disas- to fruition, especially in schedul- neer in Power Marketing for the sembly, the team at Estes operates ing power production outages for Western Area Power Administra- its crane within an eighth of an each year of work were scheduled tion. “There hasn’t been an im- inch tolerance to remove signifi- ahead of time and within the pact to power supply due to the cant portions of machinery. Colorado-Big Thompson Project’s unavailability of one of the three The heaviest is the generator operating parameters. units.” rotor, weighing roughly 134,500 “In all, there are 21 outages,” In addition to the head covers lbs. Next is the upper bearing sup- said C-BT water scheduler, Carlos and runners, Reclamation and port bracket, which weighs about Lora. TVA are also line boring, replac- 23,500 lbs. Outages are system shutdowns ing and machining the wicket gate In the middle, running verti- planned ahead of time to accom- bushings, and upgrading greasing cally, is the turbine shaft—the rod modate maintenance or other systems. connecting the turbine to the gen- work and reduce impacts to water

page 5 Finding Water Information on the GP Internet

than 90 automated weather sta- tions collecting site-specific weather data. The data is translated into crop- specific water use information. The primary purpose of AgriMet is modeling evapotranspiration to assist farmers in applying the right amount of water at the optimal time to crops. There are also other uses for AgriMet data, including regional crop water use modeling, agricul- tural research, frost monitoring, and integrated pest and fertility management. Reclamation operates a network of automated hydrologic and meteorologic monitoring stations (Hydromet) located throughout the GP Region. Hydromet collects remote field data and transmits it via satellite to provide real-time water man- agement information. Hydromet Reservoirs, Dams & Hydropower page. data is integrated with other sources of information to provide By Tobias Taylor, GPRO dropower site is composed of: streamflow forecasting and cur- AgriMet, Hydromet, Boat Ramps, rent runoff conditions. Water is the core of what Rec- Power Levels, Recreation, Snow- Based on real-time Hydromet lamation does. The Reservoirs, pack & Reservoir Levels, Water Dams & Hydropower web site is a Management Info and Projects & consolidation of the water opera- Facilities. tions & water management in- Reclamation, in cooperation formation available for the Great with other federal, state, and lo- Plains Region. cal sponsors, has developed an Over the past decade, the site agricultural weather information has grown from separate non- system called AgriMet. integrated pages to a collection of The original AgriMet program inter-related sections where users started in the 1980s, and was ex- have many different avenues to panded into Montana (east of the obtain water information. continental divide) in the 1990s. Boat ramp data for Big South Bay The Reservoirs, Dams & Hy- AgriMet is a network of more ramp at Horsetooth Reservoir. page 6 from highly will be available during and after developed snowmelt. campgrounds The Water Management section to primitive contains information from across campsites with the region, such as current oper- no commercial ating plans, snow water content development graphs, water supply reports, pre- nearby. cipitation summaries and reservoir The combina- allocation diagrams. tion of excel- The Projects and Facilities lent facilities database includes information on and a diverse Reclamation dams, power plants fishery contrib- and projects. utes to a qual- Reservoir pages contain facility ity recreation specific information, such as cur- experience. rent and historical images of the Visit the Rec- facility, an overview of the geol- reation pages to ogy where the dam was built, the The Power Level page provides real-time power find out more dimensions of the dam and recre- generation­ information. about a facil- ation links. data, Boat Ramp pages display ity and specific Project pages contain a general current conditions for the major- recreation opportunities available. description, historical develop- ity of boat launching facilities The current water level of a ment and construction informa- throughout the GP Region. reservoir is important for many tion, and an overview of the Boat Ramp images are generat- activities. benefits the project provides. ed on-demand, displaying current During flood season, the public All of these individual water reservoir elevation, ramp eleva- wants to know how close a reser- information pages have grown to- tion and whether reservoir condi- voir is to its flood control capac- gether into one consolidated site – tions are favorable for launching. ity. Recreation users want to know Reservoirs, Dams & Hydropower. Hydropower plays a vital role if the reservoir level is sufficient in fulfilling our nation’s energy to safely launch a boat. needs. The Snow- The Power Levels page pro- pack & Res- vides real-time power generation ervoir Levels status for the 20 hydroelectric page provides power plants the region operates, current res- (producing enough electricity to ervoir levels meet the demands of more than in relation to 250,000 homes each year). Hy- average his- dropower is the country’s larg- toric levels, est and most efficient source of and percent of renewable energy. total reservoir Some GP lakes and reservoirs capacity. Cur- are nationally recognized and play rent snowpack host each year to tournaments and levels are also derbies; others are more suited displayed for to quiet family fun, tucked away those reservoirs in isolated but accessible areas where data is within an hour’s drive of major collected, help- cities. ing to predict Facilities for visitors vary the amount The Snowpack & Reservoir Level page provides real-time reservoir and snowpack levels displayed on an interac- of water that tive map. page 7 Alcova Reservoir - Best Small Recreation Reservoir in the West

(Above and right) Recreationists enjoying summer fun at Alcova Reservoir.

By Jay Dallman, WYAO riety of water sports are common and shelter are located at Black activities at the lake. Camping, Beach on the southeast side of the Alcova Reservoir is on the North hiking, horseback riding, hunting, reservoir. NCRBP manages 100 Platte River, about 35 miles south- picnicking, recreational vehicle cabin sites and 155 trailer sites at west of Casper, Wyo. use and wildlife viewing are favor- Alcova. “The Lake”, as it often referred ite activities on Reclamation lands NCRBP also administers leases to locally, has become one of the surrounding the lake. with Alcova Marina, Casper Ski premier water recreation sites in Recreation at Alcova Reservoir Club and Casper Boat Club. The southeastern Wyo. is managed by Natrona County Marina has 28 leased RV sites; the Fishing at Alcova is very popu- Roads, Bridges and Parks Depart- Ski Club has 100 RV spaces; and lar. Available fish species include ment (NCRBP), under a Memo- the Boat Club has 12 RV spaces. brown trout, cutthroat trout, randum of Understanding with According to NCRBP Director rainbow trout and walleye. Rain- Reclamation. Mike Haigler, there has been a bow and brown trout are stocked Park facilities include six camp- steady increase in recreational use annually by the Wyoming Game grounds, eight boat ramps and at Alcova Reservoir over the past and Fish Department. an interpretive hiking trail. A couple of decades and the trend is Boating, water skiing and a va- barrier-free fishing pier, restroom expected to continue. page 8 At the time of Even though the purpose of its construction, a consistent summer operating Alcova Dam level is to facilitate deliveries to was less expen- the Casper Canal, it may appear sive to build to many of the cabin owners and than construct- boat dock users that Reclamation ing and oper- maintains that level to make it ate an electric convenient to operate and maintain pumping plant their docks. to lift water They don’t have to continually from the river extend their docks in an effort to into the canal. keep up with steadily declining The reservoir water levels, as would be the case was merely a at most irrigation reservoirs in the Visitors and locals alike enjoy Alcova Reservoir for side benefit of West. its numerous recreation benefits, including camping, the construc- In addition, when Reclamation boating, trail and marina concession, fishing, horse- back riding, hunting, picnicking, recreational vehi- tion of this high lowers the reservoir for winter to cles, water sports and wildlife viewing. diversion dam keep ice off the Casper Canal head for agricultural gate, boat dock owners experience “We experienced over 100,000 purposes. the added benefit of being able to visitor days in 2010, and by 2030, Alcova Reservoir has a surface avoid ice damage to their docks. we expect to see nearly 130,000 area of 2,470 acres and a total It also provides a nice window to visitor days,” Haigler said. capacity of 184,405 acre-feet, of perform off-season maintenance The dam impounding Alcova which the top 30,606 acre-feet is while docks are out of the water. Reservoir was constructed by active capacity available for irriga- For those owning seasonal Reclamation in the mid-1930s as a tion. homes around Alcova or enjoying means of raising the level of water Unlike most irrigation reservoirs water recreation activities on the in the North Platte River 165 feet in the West, Alcova is operated lake, it’s a beautiful arrangement! so it could be diverted into the with a very consistent elevation. Operation of the lake may be for Casper Canal and provide irriga- For the entire irrigation season irrigation purposes, but the side tion water to what is currently (April 1 through Sept. 30), the benefits for recreation are nothing 24,000 acres of irrigated farm land reservoir is maintained at elevation short of tremendous. in the Kendrick Project west of 5,498, plus or Casper. minus a foot, Boating and water skiing are major attractions at Alcova to facilitate Reservoir, which spans 2,470 surface acres, offering The irrigation distribution ample room for recreation opportunities. system consists of 59-mile-long deliveries Casper Canal, 190 miles of laterals through Casper and sub-laterals, and 41 miles of Canal. drains. In non-irri- The main canal has a capacity gation seasons of 1,200 cubic feet per second. the elevation is The concrete head gate that diverts lowered 10 feet water from the reservoir into the and maintained canal is located about a mile west at elevation of the dam. 5,488 plus or The dam is a zoned earth fill minus a foot structure rising 265 feet above to prevent ice its foundation, and containing damage to the 1,635,000 cubic yards of material. Casper Canal head gate.

page 9 Joint Venture with the Joint Board

Work crews busting concrete at Fresno spillway.

By Paula Holwegner, MTAO Blatter, President of the Milk Riv- the Fresno Spillway and in Oct. er Joint Board of Control. “The on Drop 4 (a hydraulic drop on In 2012, the Milk River Project MRJBOC has been volunteering the St. Mary Canal). This was had two major projects completed time and materials and Reclama- the second year that Reclamation by Reclamation at two different tion has been fantastic to work partnered with the MRJBOC to facilities, hundreds of miles apart. with. Together, all of our efforts make necessary repairs to this ag- What is unique about these two have made these repairs efficient ing infrastructure. projects is that the work was com- and effective.” Fresno Dam, constructed in pleted in conjunction with vol- The Milk River Project is con- 1939, needed extensive repairs unteers, materials and equipment sidered the lifeline of northern to the spillway structure. In an provided by the Milk River Joint Montana, furnishing water for effort to reduce overall mainte- Board of Control (MRJBOC). about 121,000 acres of agriculture nance costs to users downstream, “We are tremendously happy land, municipal and industrial the volunteer forces from the with the success we’ve been water, and benefits to fish, wildlife MRJBOC, along with Reclama- experiencing conducting these and recreation. tion employees, began removing repairs in this manner,” said Kay Work commenced in Sept. on selected areas of concrete with jack hammers.

(Left) Worker performs finishing work on Fresno spillway. (Right) Work crews perform concrete placement repair work on chute floor at Drop 4.

page 10 After pressure washing the area, fresh concrete was poured. In ad- dition, a portion of the drain sys- tem was found to be failing and crews repaired it. This will be an extensive repair project, projected to span 3 - 4 years. In Oct., 190 miles away near the Canadian border, the same crew set about replacing the ogee struc- ture on Drop 4 (a hydraulic drop on the St. Mary Canal), authorized on March 25, 1905. Work was completed under adverse condi- tions just before the snow flew. In the past, the eight irrigation districts on the Milk River had been frustrated with the timeliness and costs to perform infrastructure maintenance and repair. Concrete placement at Drop 4. “This is a unique approach that has been very successful for us,” said Mike LaFrentz, Marias-Milk Rivers Division Manager. “We hope to continue this relationship for many years.”

Completed work on Fresno spillway as snow begins to fall.

page 11 Fremont Canyon Power Plant Turbine Overhaul Workers prepare for removal of the thrust block.

By Jay Dallman, WYAO pacity from 48 Megawatts (MW) cavitation was noticed including to 66.8 MW. The renovated units severe cracks and several turbine Turbine replacement and over- were capable of passing more buckets with missing material. haul of generator No. 1 is under- water and also generating more These buckets were repaired by way at the Wyoming Area Office’s electricity. removing all of the severely dam- (WYAO) Fremont Powerplant in Brock Owen, a mechanical aged portions of the bucket and southeastern Wyo. engineer at WYAO said, “This then welding in new formed sec- The work is being accomplished time, the turbine replacement is tions of matching stainless steel. by WYAO personnel. Similar happening for different reasons. “One of the problems intro- maintenance was performed on The current overhauls and turbine duced by the continuous cycle of Unit No. 2 in 2012. replacements at Fremont Canyon weld repairs is a deviation from The original turbines were put Power plant are being undertaken the original hydraulic shape of into service in 1961 and last re- to address severe cavitation dam- the discharge end of the buckets,” placed in 1989-1990. age to the turbines which has oc- said Owen. In the late 1980s, the turbines curred since their installation.” Welding and grinding to restore were replaced, primarily to allow The turbines being replaced the surfaces of the turbine buck- more water to be passed down- have required extensive weld ets often result in changes to the stream through the power plant. repair of the turbine buckets every original shape. This deviation in At that time, the combination of maintenance season. the turbines’ designed hydraulic new turbines and new generator During a 2006 inspection, a shape can accelerate cavitation windings increased the plant’s ca- greater than usual amount of damage. page 12 “Another problem stems from and was operated non-stop until cleaning of the stator and rotor, the fact that when new pieces are the end of Sept. and cleaning of the air cooler welded in, it creates heat-affected Currently, Unit No. 1 is disas- tubes. zones,” Owen said. sembled and the overhaul of its All of this work, with exception “These heat-affected zones turbine machinery components is of the contractor-completed blast- result in material around the in progress. ing and recoating of the turbine new sections becoming hard and During a turbine replacement machinery and re-babbiting of the brittle, thus being more prone to several mechanical components unit bearings, has been accom- further cavitation damage. Even- of the turbine machinery and plished by WYAO’s Mobile Me- tually the repairs will crack and generator are inspected, cleaned chanic Crew with support from break off, creating an even larger and repaired, or replaced. Many the Fremont Canyon/Alcova/ area to repair the next time. of the turbine machinery compo- Glendo mechanics, electricians, “This cycle can be expected to nents will be inaccessible after the hydro repairman and PSII. continue until the turbine even- generator is reassembled. It is noteworthy that WYAO is tually becomes inoperable and The turbine machinery work able to accomplish this type of irreparable which will result in consists of replacing wear sur- work in-house. the loss of generation. For this faces such as bushings and sta- According to Denver Techni- reason, it was determined that the tionary wearing rings; repairing cal Service Center personnel, turbines needed to be replaced,” wicket gates; re-babbiting the other than a couple area offices Owen said. turbine guide bearing; blasting in the MP region and Hoover, the The disassembly of Generating and recoating (painting) the head- WYAO is the only other office Unit No. 2 at Fremont Canyon cover, shift ring, and other pieces in Reclamation to successfully began Oct. 2011, and the runner of turbine machinery; replacing complete this type of work with replacement and mechanical over- all packing; and installing a new in-house personnel. haul was successfully completed computer-designed turbine runner. Aug. 2012. Generator work includes re– The generator was made avail- babbiting of the thrust, upper able five days after completion guide, and lower guide bearings;

(Left) A worker prepares for line boring of the wicket gate bushings. (Right) The old runner is removed.

page 13 Title XVI Greens Dell Diamond Stadium

City of Round Rock officials, representatives from HDR Consulting, and Collins Balcombe, OTAO, attend a ribbon cutting ceremony to showcase the first irrigation of a professional ball field with reclaimed water. By Kimberly Parish, OTAO

The City of Round Rock, Texas, has knocked it out of the park when it comes to water conservation and reuse. Round Rock was awarded $1.2 million under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) to complete Phase I of their Reclamation-approved Title XVI water recycling project. Phase I included construction of treatment, storage, and pumping facilities at the Brushy Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant, along with installation of approximately two miles of pipeline to provide up to 2,500 acre- feet per year of reclaimed water to various customers throughout the city. Oct. 24, 2012, was the Grand Opening of the Reuse Water System at the Dell Diamond Stadium in Round Rock. Dell Diamond is home to the Round Rock Express minor baseball league, as well as to numerous other events and concerts throughout the year. “Who would have thought Bob Dylan would be standing on grass irrigated with poop water?” said Collins Balcombe, Title XVI Coordinator. Dell Diamond is the first Reuse Water System customer for Round Rock and is the first professional baseball field to be irrigated with reuse water in the United States. City officials and park owners expressed their excitement about the many benefits derived by utilizing water reuse and cited several key reasons for embracing water reuse, including the conservation of drinking water, a lower cost to the end user and no imposed water restrictions during critical drought periods. The city is not stopping there though - future phases include an additional 4.3 miles of pipeline, as well as additional storage and pumping facilities to serve higher education campuses, schools and parks in the north- east part of the city. Round Rock has set an excellent example of how Reclamation can help support local communities that want to conserve our natural resources and benefit from the implementation of water reuse. page 14 Jamestown Dam = $200M Taxpayer Benefits

Jamestown Dam flood control benefits, by water year. Total flood benefits from 1955 - 2010 equal $203,650,700.

By Patience Hurley, DKAO with almost complete crop failure for several years, many farmers were forced to abandon their holdings Flood control is one of many benefits the Great and leave the area; livestock numbers were also dras- Plains Region brings to the nation is flood control. tically reduced because of feed shortages. According to the National Flood Insurance Program, Jamestown is typical of many areas in North Dako- flood damage between 2002 - 2011 totalled more ta, which lacks mountains and many natural lakes to than $2.9 billion. Floods are the number one natural hold run-off and heavy rainfall. The area often faces disaster in the United States - and most homeowners either crippling drought, or an inundation of high- insurance does not cover flood damage. water from spring melt and rainfall. Jamestown, ND, is no stranger to floods. High water During the first-half of the 20th century, proposals was long-standing problem for the city and the lower to develop the river had been forwarded by private James River Valley. engineering firms, federal agencies and state organi- Settlement in the James River Valley began with zations. It was not until passage of the Flood Control construction of the Northern Pacific Railway in 1871 Act of 1944 that Jamestown finally got flood control when railroad workers and their military guards estab- on the James River. lished a camp on the bank of the river. The Jamestown Dam was completed in 1954, and This camp later became Jamestown. The most rapid has since provided benefits for flood control, irriga- settlement of the valley was from 1890 to 1910. tion, recreation, and fish and wildlife. During the war years, 1914-1920, a strong demand The flood control feature of Jamestown Dam is ef- for wheat was a factor in making it the most important fective in reducing flood dangers in Jamestown, North cash crop. During the drought period in the 1930s, Dakota, and areas downstream along the James River.

page 15 Information Portal: GP Intranet

By Tobias Taylor, GPRO “Question of the Week” has been of the content rotator on the main a feature of the Intranet since May page, keeping employees informed 2008. Each week, a question about and up-to-date. The Great Plains Region’s In- Reclamation, our projects, water Two current items being featured tranet streamlines many business trivia and other items of interest is are the Regional Office Relocation activities for employees and serves posted for employees to answer. – with links to floor plans, building as an information portal to com- The previous week’s results and photos, frequently asked questions monly used sites. links to previous questions are and work group representatives – Employees can accomplish many available for employees to browse. and weekly Retirement Readiness tasks such as filling out time and Important events and long term tips, which offers tips on health, attendance in the E-TAS system, projects are highlighted to the left networking, wealth and more. accessing pay information from Equal Employment Opportunity Employee Express, checking the (EEO) “News You Can Use” is a status of their retirement invest- feature, located below the content ments on the TSP site and much rotator, which shares interesting more. case studies of EEO incidents from The Electronic Plains Talk Blog throughout government. features stories, photos and events These case studies examine real from around the region. events and show examples of how The most recent stories posted EEO policy and rules are applied. to the blog are highlighted in the Three new features are added each content rotator and as text links on month and an archive of all fea- the main page. tures is available, both from the Employees are encouraged to main page, and the EEO site. submit comments on the stories In addition to the information they read and enjoy. The three available from the main page, the most recent blog comments are dis- Intranet site has grown to include played as part of a feed under the over a dozen topic areas. heading GP Blog on the main page. The Great Plains Region is com- Electronic Plains Talk blog. page 16 Administrative Support Council (GPASC), com- prised of adminis- trative profession- als from across the region, uses the Intranet site to share informa- tion on upcoming meetings, minutes and event and award photos. Support Our Support Our Troops main page. Troops, a pro- gram that began guidance, HR forms, training links in 2003, focuses and policy information for man- on employees and agers, supervisors and employees their relatives who throughout the region. Diversity main page. serve in the armed Need help with that new iPhone or iPad? mitted to creating an inclusive and forces. Have a question about EEO? The Save a phone call and visit the diverse work environment. To sup- ITS Intranet site. Nearly a dozen port this commitment, the Diver- GP EEO Intranet provides – or in some cases connects you to – in- tips on using an iPhone and iPad sity site was created. have been added to the site. A new addition to the Diversity formation necessary to understand EEO and the Federal EEO com- Topics range from how to save site – which helps support and em- battery life by turning off Wi-Fi, to phasizes the diversity of the region plaint process. You can access Topic Pages with sending multimedia as e-mail at- information on EEO basics, the tachments, to how to use Siri - the EEO complaint process, alternative voice activated intelligent personal dispute resolution, the use of of- assistant. ficial time and government equip- Explore the GP Intranet to see ment in the complaint process, how it can help you work more ef- harassment, fectively. reasonable ac- commodation, and reprisal. New to Recla- mation or a veteran with a GPASC main page. question about – is the People in GP program. health benefits? Each month, People in GP The Human features an employee from around Resources site the region and shares information provides HR on their background, job duties, information hobbies and favorite thing about and guidance – working for Reclamation. including new There are many employee orga- employee ori- nizations in the GP Region; two entation materi- groups have a strong presence on als, employee the Intranet site. The Great Plains benefits, ethics EEO Welcome page. page 17 OTAO Demonstrates Potential Desalination Solutions in Texas

Staff from the Oklahoma-Texas Area Office and Policy and Administration Office tour the EUWP in Brownsville, Texas. (Left to right) Jeff Gerber, Kelli Schulte, Thomas Michalewicz, Nicholas Garmon, and Collins Balcombe. By Collins Balcombe, OTAO different sources of water may be designed by the Department of available at different times of the Naval Research for to treat poor Much of the western U.S. con- day or year. quality water, up to 60,000 mg/L tinues to face critical drought. If successful, these sorts of solu- dissolved solids, during times of Several small cities in Texas tions could impact areas across conflict. along the Gulf of Mexico that the nation, such as the Central The unit was transferred to Rec- depend on the Lower Rio Grande Valley of California, where flex- lamation for research and emer- River are facing imminent water ibility is needed to treat irrigation gency purposes. shortages. return flows of various salinity Reclamation deployed the These communities are explor- levels. EUWP in 2005 to provide potable ing more reliable supply options Reclamation’s Water Treatment drinking water to a hospital in such as seawater or brackish sur- Engineering Team, in collabora- Biloxi Mississippi after Hurricane face and groundwater. tion with the Oklahoma-Texas Rita. Is it viable to engineer a flexible Area Office (OTAO), recently Pilot-testing was carried out in desalination system that can treat used Reclamation’s Expedition- 2012 at the Southernmost Region- multiple water sources of differing ary Unit Water Purifier (EUWP) al Desalination Plant in Browns- salinity? to demonstrate a new, flexible, ville, Texas, with support from the No such system is known to ex- variable-source water desalination Texas Water Development Board ist in the U.S., so research could system that can treat both seawa- and Brownsville Public Utili- provide enormous benefits to ar- ter and brackish groundwater. ties Board (BPUB), using funds eas such as the Gulf Coast, where The EUWP was originally awarded under Reclamation’s Sci- page 18 ence and Technology Program. viewing the results, which indicate favorable energy Reclamation’s research team has confirmed that, use and operational conditions necessary for deter- with a slight redesign of the EUWP treatment sys- mining the viability of a flexible desalination system. tem, they could treat brackish groundwater with a A workshop is being held later this year to discuss recovery rate as much as 80 percent as opposed to results and build momentum for a demonstration- only 50 percent with seawater. scale project to better assess cost/benefits. An international peer review team is currently re-

(Above, left) Nic Garmon, OTAO, collects water quality (Above, right) Energy recovery device used in seawa- data from the EUWP. ter desalination to reduce energy consumption in the EUWP. This unit is bypassed during brackish treatment.

page 19 Increasing workplace satisfaction and employee morale in the Great Plains Region

Great Plains Region, Steady as She Goes ...

By Sterling Rech, GPRO response rate to the Employee The primary drivers of the pro- Viewpoint Survey,” said Mike gram are the Area Office repre- If a rising tide lifts all boats, it Ryan, Great Plains Regional sentatives, who attend monthly stands to reason that the opposite Director. “We saw a nice increase meetings to brainstorm ideas to would also be true. between 2006 and 2008 which improve morale and workplace But the results of the 2012 Em- coincided with the formation satisfaction. ployee Viewpoint Survey show of the Regionwide Take Action “The Quality Service Board the GP Region to be an exception, Initiative.” (QSB) has served as the focus maintaining even scores despite a The TAI was chartered by group for the Dakotas Area Of-

myriad of pressures on the federal fice implementation of TAI, and workforce. 2013 Take Action Initiative publishes a newsletter which is During the past three years, Team Members: distributed electronically to all federal employees have faced employees,” said Dakotas Area numerous challenges, ranging • Nancy Wilson, NKAO Manager, Dick Long. from austere budgets, pay freezes, • Robin Scott, ECAO “The Dakotan Newsletter has and limits on travel and training, • Gary Brownlee, OTAO been well received by our em- to hiring freezes, suspension of ployees and has been a very posi- • Kevin Wilkerson, MTAO awards and bonuses, and a host of tive and effective way to improve other stressors. • Marcia Buchholz, GPRO communications within the Area The pressure on federal employ- • Elizabeth McPhillips, DKAO Office,” Long said. ees was clearly reflected in the • Alyssa Louria, WYAO Two areas TAI has focused on national EVS results. since its inception are Perfor- • Jerry Leggate, GPRO Response rates nearly tripled mance Appraisals and supervisor/ from 260,000 in 2010, to more • Sterling Rech, GPRO employee communication. than 687,000 in 2012. This is • Buck Feist, GPRO Between 2006 and 2012, the significant because surveys are region has seen a steady increase typically self-selecting, meaning the Regional Leadership Board in performance ratings for em- unsettled employees are more (RLB) in 2007 to focus on em- ployees. likely respond than employees ployee morale and workplace Each year, the TAI chooses a with a positive or neutral perspec- satisfaction across the nine-state general theme to highlight. For tive on the workplace. region. TAI uses the EVS as its FY 2013/2014, the region is Despite the unprecedented targeted indicator to determine the focusing on Reclamation’s core increase in respondents nation- success of efforts and programs missions in an effort to high- wide, the GP Region’s response aimed at making the region a light the numerous benefits our rates remained relatively flat, at great place to work. employees help provide to the 65 percent. Now in its sixth year, TAI has American public. “Since 2008, the Great Plains been active around the region. The safe and reliable delivery of Region has had a very healthy page 20 renewable hydropower and clean drink- ing water are only a part of what com- prise Reclamation’s mission. The agency also provides critical support to agriculture and small com- munities by supplying irrigation water. Reclamation operates and maintains infrastructure to prevent catastrophic flooding and reduce environmental impacts. Reclamation also serves millions each year through valuable recreation oppor- tunities on the many reservoirs across Posters highlight the core the West. mission of Reclamation, which One purpose of TAI is to provide includes providing water and power for the American West. management and employees with regular reports and updates on the region’s prog- ress with morale and workplace satisfaction. The team put together a presentation that was delivered during the Mar. 2013 RLB meeting, providing an overview of the results from the 2012 survey, including a comparative analysis with past survey results and an overview of where the TAI will focus its energy moving forward. The top decreases in positive responses from 2010 to 2012 had to do with pay, awards, training, and avail- able resources, areas that have been impacted on a national level by budget reductions on other actions. But overall, the region maintained the nearly 8 percent increase in cumulative positive responses that oc- curred between 2008 and 2010, the first survey after the TAI was formed. “I was pleased with the results this year,” said Ryan. “It was encouraging to see that GP is holding our own during challenging times and continues to maintain the hard-won progress from previous years.”

page 21 DKAO Battles Ice and Flood to Restore Habitat Benefits

(Above) Contractor Smith-Root, Inc., installs PVC raceways for conductors from the control building, located up the hill to the left, to the Fish Barrier electrodes in the concrete culverts below.

(Right) One of the new junction boxes located just behind the headwall.

By James Thornburg, DKAO the electric fish barrier experi- flows of 12-inch thick ice chunks enced substantial damage to the would lodge against the head An important structure is re- wiring conduits and the control wall until the far end of the ice paired to once more provide water building during the extended would swing like a door down and habitat benefits to Arrowood flooding in spring 2009. into the water and seal off the National Wildlife Refuge. At the height of the floods in end of the culverts. An electric fish barrier located a both 2009 and 2011, the water The ice chunks would eventu- mile downstream from the refuge level was about six feet above the ally break under the water pres- was originally constructed in 2008 top of the road over the culverts. sure, and with a loud crack the to keep rogue fish out of the refuge Most of the damage was from ice would break apart and flow and promote growth of native wa- flows of ice through or against through the culverts at high ter vegetation for water fowl. the culverts. When water had speed. Fully operational for only a year, risen to the top of the culverts, Reclamation redesigned the page 22 (Left) Backfilling over new conduit placed on the top of the culverts instead of running along the ceiling. The electrical boxes are placed behind the headwall instead of on the front. Clean sand is placed directly over the conduit to prevent damage from rocks. Material that was excavated to expose the site is then placed and compacted between the conduit runs, and over the protective sand layer.

(Right) Work nears completion. The work site has been backfilled, and Kurtz Road restored.

A layer of protective riprap (rock) is placed around the downstream end of the culverts. The rock was salvaged from the initial excavation. control structure, stripped it out and moved it to atop the culvert, holes were drilled through the an elevation above Jamestown dam crest, salvaged culvert top to allow the wiring and conduits to be useable equipment, and replaced damaged or mal- reinstalled on top of the culvert, then covered with functioning parts to make the structure operational dirt and rock for better protection. once more. In March, metal grating trash racks were installed Subsequent flooding and ice moving through at the electric fish barrier site to keep ice and debris culverts again damaged the electrical connections from flowing through and damaging the repaired for the fish barrier in spring 2011. system. This past fall, broken conduit wires and connec- With the new design in place, DKAO looks for- tions were removed and rock and dirt stripped from ward to years of reliable service from the structure.

Upstream headwall of the three concrete box culverts. Running on the face of the headwall are the PVC con- duits to the four metal junction boxes. The metal junction box on the left culvert has been destroyed and- washed away. The other two metal junction boxes have been badly damaged by ice flows.

page 23 Change in Weather

By Kara Lamb, ECAO

(Above) Each spring, the Fry-Ark West Slope crew has to drive, snowcat, and showshoe into 16 remote diver- sion dams to clear them of snow.

What will happen if we have and snow storms - some packing around 24,700 acre-feet to about back-to-back low water years? a foot or more of accumulation. 47,000 acre-feet after the April That was the question on the As a result, snowpack rebounded weather. minds of many across Colorado state-wide. Greg Teter, manager of the local this winter when snow storms When the Fryingpan-Arkansas Parkville Water District, specu- were few and far between. Project’s West Slope crew headed lated that recent storms would As snow pack numbers trailed up to the 16 diversion dams in the probably help get them through last year’s, water managers began upper Fryingpan River, they found this year. projecting along 2002 lines—the themselves in blizzard conditions State Climatologist, Nolan driest in the last 15 years. almost every day. Doesken, who presented on behalf “Snow pack and our related “There was only one day out of of Colorado State University, said, projections had us trailing 2002 the two weeks we spent opening “Nine out of ten years, one or and 2012,” said Tim Miller, water the system where we weren’t in more sections of Colorado experi- scheduler for ECAO’s Colorado- a blizzard,” said Gene Csuti. “At ence drought conditions.” Big Thompson Project and Ruedi some of the facilities we were He walked the group through Reservoir on the Fryingpan-Ar- digging down through five, six or past and present precipitation data kansas Project. more feet of snow.” averages. The northern part of the “In places above Green Moun- But is it enough? That question state has snow pack levels around tain, Granby, and Ruedi reser- framed a Lake County panel dis- 90 percent of average; the south- voirs, we had snow pack numbers cussion hosted by the local Water west corner of the state hasn’t coming into March that didn’t Advisory Council in early April. gained and continues to drop. even make 60 percent of average.” Reclamation provided updated “We’re in the middle,” Doesken All that changed when April projected imports for the Fry- concluded. Although conditions finally delivered frequent rain Ark Project, which jumped from have improved, we’re still in the middle of a drought. page 24 Gene Csuti opens Mormon Diversion in blizzard conditions. Another view of Gene Csuti at Mormon Diversion.

Jeff Ongley takes a brief break from clearing snow. Matt Robison is dwarfed by snow pack.

16 diversion dams has to be manually cleared of snow. The hike to Granite Diversion is 1,000 feet down and back up. GP Celebrates Admin Support Professionals

(Above) The 2013 Great Plains Administrative Support Council Regional Office Administrative Support Professionals. From left to right, Karen Bogue, Kira Harris, Renette Kaline, Marti Urion, Amy Whittington, Linda Deavilla, Marcia Buchholz, Cathie Shoer, Zee Bustos, Tobias Taylor, Sabina Birdwell, Bobbi Mee, Fritzi Brost, Kevin Wilkerson.

(Right) Kira Harris receives Reclamation’s Administrative Professional of the Year Award.

The Great Plains Administrative cated, and personally invested in a to be more efficient and call in sick Support Council (GPASC) con- company produce far better work less often. ducted its first two-day conference than those who feel disconnected. The conference concluded with by VTC with much success. Mastery - face challenges: em- the annual Administrative Profes- The theme this year was “Shoot- ployees reach max motivation when sional and Service Professional ing for the Stars,” and nearly 50 they engage in activities that are Award ceremony. employees attended in-person and difficult but not insurmountable. Ryan highlighted each nominee, by VTC from around the region. Autonomy - beware of micro- describing their accomplishments Michael Ryan, Great Plains managing supervisors: authoritarian for the past year. Nominees were Regional Director, gave a presenta- bosses don’t give workers much presented with a certificate and a tion on common factors of a happy choice on the job. Bosses who small gift. workplace and some low-cost ways make employees feel competent Nancy Martin, WYAO, received to thank coworkers. and cared for boost satisfaction, the 2012 GP Administrative Profes- There are some qualities that productivity, and company loyalty sional of the Year award. Kira Har- almost all happy workplaces share. even further. ris, GPRO received the 2012 GP Purpose - get engaged: employ- Daily Schedule - mix it up: em- Administrative Service Professional ees who are actively involved, dedi- ployees who produce on their own of the Year award. clocks and outside the office tend page 26 Red Willow Set for Fall 2013 Completion

(Above and right) Geotextile fabric is placed on the downstream face of Red Willow Dam to prevent cracks inside the dam from working through to the downstream face and provide a channel for erosion. Red Willow Dam is located approximately 14 miles north of McCook, Neb. In 2009, two sink holes, two and six feet deep, were discovered on the downstream face of Red Willow Dam near the river outlet works. As a re- sult, the water elevation in the reservoir was lowered and the holes were investigated. Considering the presence of cracks in the dam embankment above the river outlet works and the lack of any filter zone, the decision was made to excavate the downstream face of the dam and place a new two-stage chimney filter and toe drain system on the dam’s downstream face. The existing downstream face was excavated at a 2:1, horizontal:vertical, slope and then a geonet composite, plastic wire mesh sandwiched between two layers of geotextile fabric, was placed on the entire downstream face of the dam. The purpose of the geonet composite is to prevent any cracks inside the dam from working through to the downstream face and providing a channel for erosion. The chimney filter is comprised of an 8-foot-horizontal layer of sand and a 4-foot-horizontal layer of gravel. The sand in the filter prevents the dam core and embankment material from eroding by stopping the material, but allowing water to pass through. The gravel provides a path for the water to flow away from the dam which reduces internal pressures. The chimney drain connects to a drain system along the toe of the dam that directs the water into the discharge basin downstream of both the river outlet works and the spillway. A stability berm was then constructed over the chimney drain to keep the dam in place and protect the drain. As of May 2013, the construction contractor, SEMA of Centennial, Colo., has placed the toe drain, chimney drain, and stability berm on the dam. They are currently placing topsoil over the downstream face of the dam and the borrow area in preparation for seeding. They have also placed a filter along the bottom of the discharge basin and along the sloped basin bank. The contractor is also working on the slope stability modification, which consists of excavating the steep side slopes on either side of the access road from Highway 83 to the dam and placing the excavated material to a 3:1 slope for greater stability. Reclamation is currently pursuing a modification to place an asphalt overlay over the access road, pave the crest of the dam and install guardrail on both sides of access road and the crest of the dam. Although the current contract completion date is March 2014, the contractor’s construc- tion schedule anticipates a completion date of October 2013, pending no major issues. page 27 Reclamation’s Mission: The mission of the Bureau of Reclamation is to manage, develop, and protect water and related resources in an environmentally and economically sound manner in the interest of the American public.

printed on recycled and/or recyclable paper

The recently completed (May 2013) Department of the Interior Building, 2021 4th Ave. N., Billings, Mont.