Santa Fe officials report progress, timeline changes on Nichols Dam outlet rehabilitation

Taylor Jurgens, an engineer with the city water division, told the Santa Fe Public Works and Utilities Committee on May 19 that the Nichols Dam outlet rehabilitation is roughly three-quarters complete and that the dam-safety portion is now likely to finish in July, with overall substantial completion targeted for October.

The project combines dam-safety work (lining and grouting the outlet conduit and installing a downstream sand filter) with operational and water quality upgrades (modified intake, two new valve vaults, a new VSA building and an aeration system). The city awarded the contract to C.F. Padilla in 2023; the original low bid was just under $17 million. Two subsequent amendments totaling about $2.3 million raised the contract to $19.2 million, and roughly 72% of the work has been billed to date, Jurgens said.

The update matters because the work addresses potential failure modes identified in a 2018 assessment and also installs systems to meter and account for water releases to downstream users, including treatment plants and acequias. The project affects river flows and water-accounting practices that tie into the city’s Living River policies and the advisory River Commission.

Jurgens described the remaining dam work as primarily completing a downstream filter diaphragm and embankment installations, finishing the final outlet piping to tie into a previously installed raw water line, completing electrical and SCADA work, and installing the new aeration system. He said construction began in spring 2024 after seasonal runoff restrictions delayed some work.

On financing, Jurgens said the project received an award from the New Mexico Water Trust Board totaling $5,500,000 composed of a roughly 60% grant and 40% loan, and that the city has also been approved for a Clean Water State Revolving Fund loan to cover remaining eligible costs. He said the original engineer’s estimate in 2022 was about $18.6 million and that inflation and added scope help explain the current contract total.

Council members and staff discussed routing Living River flows through or around 2 Mile Pond, and Director Roach said the pond has an indirect groundwater connection that typically keeps it wet. Roach said the decision to send water through or around the pond is a policy issue that should be vetted by the River Commission; he also noted that Living River flow volumes are specified in city code based on April 1 snowpack, though the timing and routing decisions are for the River Commission.

Jurgens encouraged committee members to schedule a site visit while the reservoir is drained, noting the current construction exposure offers a rare opportunity to view the structure.

Construction photos presented to the committee showed cofferdams, slip-lined conduit with casing spacers, valve vaults and the VSA building. Jurgens said the project has installed three knife gate valves for intake control and built valve vaults at the dam and at the treatment plant to support metering of outfalls to the river.

Committee members did not take formal action on the presentation; the item was an informational update.