Background

The District provides water and sewer services to approximately 4,217 acres of land that includes the town of Rancho Viejo and a development known as River Bend Resorts. The District also furnishes irrigation water to land areas within and outside the District’s boundaries.

Ninety percent of the water used in the district’s system comes from the Rio Grande. Water is diverted from the district’s pumping station located near River Bend Resorts and transported by the main canal to the Resaca del Rancho Viejo, which serves as a storage reservoir and provides the raw water supply for the existing Rancho Viejo Surface Water Treatment Plant.

Constructed in the 1930’s, the main canal is unlined and extends approximately 29,700 feet. The existing pumps are also decades old. The canal loses an estimated 570 acre-feet of water a year from evaporation, seepage, and “canal charging.” The District’s water delivery efficiency for water diverted for irrigation purposes is about 75%.

Description

The project consists of replacing the main canal with a 42” pipeline extending approximately 29,000 feet from the Rio Grande to the Resaca del Rancho Viejo.

Benefits

The project will improve operational efficiencies not only in terms of annual operation and maintenance expenditures, but also with respect to energy and water conservation. Replacing the canal with pipeline is expected to save an estimated 570 acre-feet of water a year, as well as reduce pumping requirements, resulting in estimated energy savings of 51,585 Kw-hr/yr.