Los Alamos National Laboratory sits on top of a once-remote mesa in northern New Mexico with the Jemez mountains as a backdrop to research and innovation covering multi-disciplines from bioscience, sustainable energy sources, to plasma physics and new materials.
Crews installed 600 feet of water diversion barriers and removed more than 1,200 cubic yards of sediment in anticipation of flash flooding. Waste removed from canyon bottom LOS ALAMOS, New Mexico, July 11, 2011— Los Alamos National Laboratory work crews over the weekend installed 600 feet of water diversion barriers and removed more than 1,200 cubic yards of sediment in anticipation of flash flooding because of damage from the Las Conchas Fire. It's the first phase of additional work to help stabilize canyons that run through LANL property and minimize the ability of flood waters to stir up trace levels of Cold War-era contaminants in canyon bottoms. Although the fire burned only one acre of Lab property, it charred parts of two major canyons upstream. The lack of vegetation and a water-repelling crust on the burned areas could allow storm water to rush down-canyon instead of soak in. "There is little doubt that we will see ash in the water reaching the Rio Grande,” said Dave McInroy, program director for the Lab's flood and erosion control efforts. "This is what you'd expect after any fire in New Mexico.
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