The Bureau of Reclamation announced that the relining of the river outlet works at Glen Canyon Dam is underway.
The project is funded through an $8.9 million investment from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The project will reline all four outlets and take about a year to complete, ensuring efficient and reliable water deliveries for the future.
Through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Bureau of Reclamation is investing a total of $8.3 billion over five years for water infrastructure projects, including rural water, water storage, conservation and conveyance, nature-based solutions, dam safety, water purification and reuse, and desalination.
Since President Joe Biden signed the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law in November 2021, the Bureau of Reclamation has announced $4.2 billion for 575 projects to date.
The outlets, also referred to as bypass tubes, consist of four steel pipes that move water from Lake Powell directly downstream into the Colorado River, bypassing the hydropower generating units. The original coal-tar coating that covers the inside of the outlets is more than 60 years old and has shown normal signs of wear and tear.
The original lining was brushed on by hand with spot repairs completed as needed over the years. The project includes removing the old lining and replacing it with an epoxy primer and polysiloxane topcoat, which will be applied by a robotic sprayer.
The lining system has been extensively studied in various laboratory tests and successfully applied to numerous infrastructure, including Fontana (North Carolina), Pineview (Utah) and Grand Coulee (Washington) dams.
鈥淚t is Reclamation鈥檚 duty and obligation to operate all of our facilities -- including Glen Canyon Dam -- in a safe manner and to maintain reliable downstream releases to meet the nation鈥檚 water and energy needs,鈥� said Wayne Pullan, Reclamation鈥檚 Upper Colorado Basin regional director. 鈥淭he relining of the outlets ensures Glen Canyon Dam continues to operate in a manner that meets its congressionally authorized purposes safely and efficiently well into the future.鈥�