Well drilling in Mortandad Canyon to increase vehicle traffic

Pedestrians should avoid area

Joggers, cyclists and hikers shouldn't use Mortandad Canyon for the next few months as the Department of Energy and the New Mexico Environment Department drill several ground water monitoring wells in the area.

The contractor for the work, Kleinfelder Inc., plans to work from 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., seven days a week to complete the work, scheduled to run through February 2005, said Steve Pearson of Water Quality and Hydrology (RRES-WQH). The work involves drilling characterization boreholes, installation of alluvial and intermediate groundwater monitoring wells and collection of resistivity data from select boreholes. The work will require the use of heavy construction equipment, several drilling rigs and associated support vehicles, he said.

The Department of Energy has asked that all pedestrian traffic and recreational use within Mortandad Canyon be temporarily prohibited until the work is completed, Pearson said. Signs will be erected in the work area alerting pedestrians to the work. The restrictions within the work area are for safety purposes to avoid any confrontations between pedestrians and heavy construction traffic.

For more information, contact Tom Whitacre of DOE's Los Alamos Site Office at 5-5042 or write to twhitacre@doeal.gov by electronic mail.

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