SAN ACACIA LEVEE PROJECT UPDATE, JULY 2015

Published July 29, 2015
SOCORRO, N.M. -- The contractor works on the San Acacia Levee along the Rio Grande, Feb. 25, 2015.

SOCORRO, N.M. -- The contractor works on the San Acacia Levee along the Rio Grande, Feb. 25, 2015.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The Albuquerque District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has updated the San Acacia Levee Project’s status in response to concerns by local residents that the contractor has completely stopped work on the project near Socorro, N.M.

The project’s construction process is to demolish the existing spoil-bank levee and then construct a new, engineered levee. During the demolition process, the contractor, Kirkland Construction, encountered groundwater and decided to pause the work for a time in anticipation of the groundwater naturally lowering instead of dewatering the area to continue work.

In addition, due to the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, Kirkland Construction is restricted from working in certain areas until after Aug. 15, 2015.

The contract for the project has a construction duration period of 600 calendar days and a required contract completion date of July 25, 2016. Kirkland is expected to return to the site this fall (September-October) and the decision to leave the site does not change the required contract completion date. This decision is not expected to prevent the contractor from meeting the required deadline.

The project is funded by the Corps and the cost share sponsors are the New Mexico Interstate Stream Commission and the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District.

For questions about the project, please contact: Jerry Nieto, at 505-342-3362 or by email at Jerry.D.Nieto@usace.army.mil.


Contact
Elizabeth Lockyear
505-342-3106
Cespa-pa@usace.army.mil

Release no. 15-005