The Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District (MRGCD) started prepping levees for the spring runoff last week.
As temperatures increase and the snow melts, the MRGCD has started preparations for the spring runoff season along the Rio Grande. On April 22, the district organized a training session near Los Lunas in Los Chavez for its work crews in anticipation of the expected water flow during the runoff period.
“We don’t expect the runoff to last as long as it did last year, however, increased river flows always require proactive work from our team,†said Jason Casuga, MRGCD CEO, in a press release.
Alicia Lopez, engineering and mapping manager for the MRGCD, outlined the objectives of the training session held in Los Chavez for the four MRGCD division field crews from Cochiti, Albuquerque, Belen and Socorro.
First, the training aimed to demonstrate to field crews how to prepare levees for high flows during spring runoff. Second, it focused on repairing a damaged section of the levee bank identified last year.
According to Lopez, the levees near Corrales and Bernalillo were engineered by the Army Corps of Engineers with drainage systems that experience fewer issues compared to the Valencia County swell bank levees. This is because the latter is made of dirt that was simply piled up during the construction of the drains.
However, Lopez said problems with the levees in Sandoval County usually arise due to the drainage systems getting clogged.
The runoff preparation training was completed using an excavator, filter fabric and riprap, a type of rock used to protect shorelines from erosion.
“We try to keep track of (damage to levees) as best as we can by doing periodic and increasingly frequent levee inspections and then putting those points on a shared data system online,†Lopez said.
The MRGCD uses software called ArcMap, which enables field crews to survey levee damage points, take pictures, answer questions, and populate data into an online application for coordinated response and accessibility by emergency services and field teams.
The prep work involves using an excavator to expose the earth and create a sloped drain-back. Filter fabric is then laid down along the exposed section to secure the bank, followed by the placement of dirt and 18-inch riprap on top of the fabric. This layered approach stabilizes the bank and also allows water to flow while preventing erosion.
The MRGCD also issued water and fire safety warnings near the Rio Grande.
According to the press release, a maintenance team will clear debris and unlawful campsites to minimize human-caused fires within their boundaries.