Rio Grande Phase 2 Rehabilitation Project Wins H2O Project Award

The Rio Grande Phase 2 Rehabilitation Project recently won a Colorado Contractors Association H2O Project Award for Dams/Reservoirs.

The H2O awards recognizes excellence in the field of construction project management for water related projects, with categories including:

  • Plant / Pump Stations (Raw Water / Drinking Water)
  • Plant / Pump Stations (Wastewater)
  • Pipe – Open Trench (Raw Water / Drinking Water)
  • Pipe – Open Trench (Wastewater / Stormwater)
  • Pipe – Trenchless / Rehab / Slip-lining
  • Pipe – Subdivision / Private Development Wet Utilities
  • Water Tank
  • Dam / Reservoir
  • Waterway / Wetland Restoration / Preservation
  • Urban Drainage / Flood Mitigation

The Dams/Reservoir category was split into a small (projects under $6 million) and large (projects over $6 million) project categories, which the Rio Grande Phase 2 Rehabilitation won the large project category.

The Rio Grande Phase 2 Rehabilitation Project sits at 9500 feet in the San Juan Mountains of southern Colorado. Schnabel’s Longmont, CO and Boise, ID offices worked as a team with the San Luis Valley Irrigation District to complete this $30 million repair which included a new intake structure, tunnel rehabilitation and valve house able to convey up to 2500 cfs through three fixed cone valves.

The team worked closely with the Colorado State Engineer’s Office Division of Dam Safety to upgrade the 108-year-old structure with its 57,000-acre foot reservoir impounding the upper Rio Grande. The contractor, Moltz Civil, completed the project on time and within budget even though most of the work had to be constructed during winter months when the river could be physically shut off. The work was completed despite one of the snowiest winters in a quarter century followed by a global pandemic.

Congratulations to everyone who worked on this project and their exemplary teamwork that will go on to serve the water users of the Rio Grande for the next century.

Learn more about the H2O Project Awards.

The Rio Grande Phase 2 Rehabilitation Project sits at 9500 feet in the San Juan Mountains of southern Colorado. Schnabel’s Longmont, CO and Boise, ID offices worked as a team with the San Luis Valley Irrigation District to complete this $30 million repair which included a new intake structure, tunnel rehabilitation and valve house able to convey up to 2500 cfs through three fixed cone valves.