Los Alamos utilities staff report drought, El Vado dam repairs could limit hydroelectric output for years

Don Wickers, hydro plant supervisor for Los Alamos County Department of Public Utilities, told the Board of Public Utilities on Aug. 6 that drought and federal dam repair plans are constraining generation at the county's two hydroelectric plants and will shape near‑term operations and capital needs.

Wickers said Abiquiu and El Vado are run‑of‑river facilities on the Rio Chama that together account for the county's local hydropower production. He reported lower production in 2024–2025 tied to reduced snowpack and limited Army Corps and Bureau of Reclamation releases, and outlined several plant maintenance and capital projects to protect reliability.

The condition of federal dams that control lake levels at the county's intakes — and drought‑driven low runoff — are the main determinants of how much the plants can run, Wickers said. He told the board the United States Bureau of Reclamation and the Army Corps of Engineers are reevaluating repairs at El Vado; that planning work could take roughly 3–6 years, and when construction moves into drawdown phases the county's ability to generate power at El Vado will be constrained for about a three‑year work period. "They went back to the drawing board," Wickers said of the dam engineers, and while the lake will be held at a higher level for now, the Corps will draw down the reservoir after spring runoff during the repair phase, reducing available head for generation.

Why it matters: hydropower output affects the county's electric production, availability of low‑cost local energy and planning for upgrades and maintenance. Board members used the update to press staff on condition assessments, cost estimates and contingency plans for limited generation.

Key plant details and condition - Abiquiu: three Francis units (two earlier units and a 2010 Andritz unit). Wickers described Abiquiu as a three‑unit facility with combined capacity he described as roughly 17 megawatts. Two older vertical units were imported (described in the presentation as "Chinese units") and a newer horizontal Andritz unit was added in 2011 under permit 7396. - El Vado: a single Kaplan unit, described as roughly 9 megawatts, commissioned in 1987 and operating under FERC permit 5226; unit head and operating ranges were provided in the staff slides.

Wickers and staff walked the board through maintenance and reliability issues: a leaking seal at El Vado that staff are addressing with the manufacturer; cracking visible on some Abiquiu turbine blades that has not recently propagated; and aging auxiliaries such as air compressors installed at commissioning that are being replaced. He said the county staffs the plants with three full‑time employees who handle operations, maintenance and facility housekeeping; the group also provides community tours and outreach.

Capital projects and costs Wickers presented a 10‑year capital plan and listed recent and planned improvements: SCADA upgrades, an insurance‑required firewall upgrade, replacement of underground fuel tanks, transformer replacements, new air compressors, a draft‑tube replacement for Unit 3, stop‑log replacements and runner work. He said one of the largest outstanding items is Army Corps work on the Abiquiu bell chamber/vent shaft and said he has a rough estimate of about $2,000,000 for that item but that the Corps has not provided final numbers and the project is on hold.

SCADA and operations Staff reported that SCADA communications previously moved off county control and are now routed through Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). Wickers and board members said that transfer limited the county's operational control and that the county is investing in fiber and other communications to regain direct SCADA control and to put in cellular and internet backups. "SCADA is very important for us. That plant's running and SCADA goes down, we have to shut down because nobody has eyes on it," Wickers said.

Water, drought and generation Wickers showed NOAA and regional snowpack metrics and said the Rio Chama watershed experienced well‑below‑average snowpack in 2025. He said the Army Corps has been passing much smaller flows than in past years (examples: passing 60 cubic feet per second, occasionally 110 CFS, compared with prior operations that pushed hundreds to more than 1,000 CFS), and that low runoff cut generation. Staff reported fiscal year‑to‑date production numbers through June (presenter‑provided figures) of about 18,000 megawatt‑hours at Abiquiu and roughly 1,400 megawatt‑hours at El Vado (fiscal year‑to‑date), and said those totals are down from typical years because of limited water.

Planning and next steps Board members pressed Wickers and staff on timeframes and contingency planning. Wickers and other staff said they are pursuing condition assessments, working with manufacturers on repairs, seeking contractors for on‑call assessments and planning SCADA and asset management upgrades. Staff emphasized the need for a condition assessment to better scope repairs and costs — "once we do a condition assessment, then we'll understand the impact and the details as to what we're gonna require to fix Abiquiu or bring Abiquiu, make sure it's good," Wickers said.

The board requested that staff continue to refine cost estimates, pursue SCADA control improvements, provide updates on the federal dam repair schedule and complete the plant condition assessments that will inform the 10‑year capital plan and budget work.

Ending Staff said they will continue work with the Army Corps and Bureau of Reclamation on dam repair schedules and will report back to the board with condition‑assessment results, manufacturer responses on the leaking seal, and refined cost estimates for major repairs and capital projects.