Aging hydropower infrastructure at Blue Mesa Reservoir will see some urgent updates with the help of money from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL).
As part of an $849 million disbursement announced by the Department of the Interior on Dec. 3, more than $32.03 million will be used to replace butterfly valves at the Blue Mesa power plant and to refurbish two ring follower gates at the dam. This funding will pay for planning, final design and construction. Another roughly $2 million will be used to pave the public access road to the power plant, and replace the electrical “bus” that transmits power from generator to transformer at the plant.
In the agency’s announcement, the Department of the Interior said the money is an investment through President Joe Biden’s Investing in America agenda, aimed at revitalizing aging water delivery systems. The funding is going to 77 projects overall in several Western states, including 14 in the Colorado River Basin. The infrastructure at Blue Mesa dates to the facility’s original construction, with most installations made in 1963. Given the typical service life of 50 years, much of the equipment needs to be renovated or replaced, a Bureau of Reclamation official said in an email.
“Water users across the Western Slope of Colorado face tremendous pressure from the impacts of aging infrastructure, a rapidly changing climate, and a growing population,” said Lindsay DeFrates, deputy director of public relations for the Colorado River District. “Federal funding investments like this will continue to play a crucial role in helping to secure our region's water future, ensuring resilience for our communities, agriculture, and environment.”
According to Reclamation, the Blue Mesa power plant’s generating capacity is 86,000 kilowatts. Water hits and turns the turbines through a large pipe called a penstock, which also brings water to the outlet works. The electricity generated travels to transformers by “buses,” or large copper bars. Transformers convert the electricity to high voltage for transmission to power buyers.
“Blue Mesa has one common penstock that supplies water to two hydropower-generating units and two river bypass tubes. The butterfly valves are part of a system that allows the penstock or hydropower-generating units to be isolated from the common penstock during maintenance without having to unwatered the entire penstock and take both of the hydropower turbine-generators and river bypass tubes out of service,” the Reclamation official explained.
“The ring follower gates are crucial for isolating Blue Mesa Reservoir from the dam’s penstock. However, due to their age, these gates experience significant water leakage, which complicates maintenance efforts,” the Reclamation official said.
The electrical bus sends power from the generator to a step-up transformer. Some of the power is redirected to the station service transformer, which provides electricity to the plant. Of the two electrical buses at the Blue Mesa plant, one was temporarily repaired in 2022.
“With the Bipartisan Infrastructure funding awarded, Reclamation can now implement a more permanent solution as soon as possible,” the agency said.
The road upgrade is also crucial. The 1.5-mile stretch is the only access between the plant at the base of Blue Mesa dam and Hwy. 50, and is essential for transporting equipment. According to Reclamation, the road has never been paved, making it challenging to maintain during the winter months.
Hydropower produced at Blue Mesa is marketed through the Western Area Power Administration, which sells the wholesale power to rural electric cooperatives, cities, public utility districts and state and federal agencies.
“Our water is too precious to waste even a drop on outdated infrastructure meant to deliver and conserve our water supplies,” said Sen. John Hickenlooper in a statement. Sen. Michael Bennet and Hickenlooper backed the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. “Our BIL is fixing that. These updates will help save water and make us more resilient to drought.”
(Katharhynn Heidelberg is the Montrose Daily Press assistant editor and senior writer. She can be reached at katharhynnh@montrosepress.com.)
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