April 30, 2009
Canal Lining Completed
The 23-mile lining of the All American Canal with concrete is now nearly finished
It was at one time one of the biggest infrastructure projects in the United States. The lining of the All-American Canal, which will save billions of gallons of water in the coming year, is now complete.
The lining of the canal is seen as a major step in the water conservation effort in California
A crowd of over 300 people, including officials from several water districts and many local politicians, gathered for a dedication ceremony at the canal at a site just off Gordon's Well road in eastern Imperial County yesterday.
The 23-mile long concrete-lined canal will eliminate water loss through ground seepage in that portion of the canal, saving an estimated 67,700 acre-feet of water per year. An acre foot of water is the amount of water it would take to cover an acre of land to the depth of one foot, or about 325,000 gallons of water. Conservation from the lining actually started in 2008 when two segments of the project were completed.
The lining of the canal is seen as a major step in the water conservation effort in California. Drought ravaged water agencies are looking at many methods to conserve water.
Due to prolonged drought in the region, and increased demand due to growth over the last ten years, water districts throughout Southern California are facing shortages, prompting
some districts to implement mandatory water rationing.
The canal was built by the Bureau of Reclamation in 1938. The 82-mile canal was originally an earthen structure, which meant that a certain amount of water was lost every year due to seepage. In 1988, the U.S. Congress approved lining a portion of the canal to conserve water.
Water agency officials expressed a deep sense of accomplishment that a such a massive project that took over twenty years to finish is now finished.
“This is a historical event. Congress issued a law back in 1988 to line this canal – it's been a little more than 20 years in the making,” said Imperial Irrigation District director John Pierre Menville. “This is very important to the Imperial Irrigation District. It's going to conserve 67,000 acre-feet of water. It's important to California - it's important to the region, it's important to everybody that receives water from the Colorado River basin.”
The biggest beneficiary of the lining of the canal will be the San Diego County Water Authority. The agency is set to receive about 56,000 acre-feet of water per year. The San Luis Rey Settlement Partys, a group of Southern California Native American tribes, will get about 11,500 acre-feet of water per year.
Halla Razak, the director of Colorado River Projects for the San Diego County Water Authority, explained that the San Diego agency provided a substantial portion of the funds that paid for the projects.
“Part of the agreement is to pay part of the construction costs,” said Razak. “The state of California has paid about $170 million towards the construction of the project. San Diego Water Authority picks up the remainder of that cost, about $130 million.”
The water form the canal will be a lifeline for the San Diego agency, which is facing severe water shortages.
“We've been working on this project for quite sometime, and we are very excited that it actually did end, and the water has been turned over so the conservation has started and its going to be a very reliable supply for 110 years,” Razak said.
Menville said that while no further lining of the canal is planned, the IID and other water agencies will need to continue looking for ways to conserve water in the face of a drought that continues to plague the region.
“Who knows what is going to happen in the region with droughts and everything like that?” Menville said. “ There may be some other conservation, but right now we need all the water that we can get to farm with.”
Razak said the San Diego County Water Authority is looking at several options to increase it's supply of fresh water.
“San Diego has been working hard at many different things,” Razak said. “We are looking at desalination. We are working on a plant ... in Carlsbad. We are hoping it will be online in a couple of years. We are also looking at reclaimed water.
To view the Imperial Irrigation District Web site, click HERE
To view the San Diego County Water Authority Web site, click HERE