Background

Irrigation District No. 13 was merged with CCID No.2 several years ago in order to improve delivery and provide more cost effective operation and maintenance for the farmers within old District 13.

The main supply canal (Canal 13-A) for old District 13 is undersized and cannot convey a sufficient volume of water to meet the total delivery requirements. To satisfy water demand in the northern portion of old District 13, Canal 13-A currently delivers water to storage Reservoir No. 7 during periods of low demand. Relift pumps are used to move the water back into the distribution system for delivery to the farmers during periods of peak demand when Canal 13-A cannot deliver sufficient volumes of water to serve the entire District.

Use of this reservoir is inefficient and results in substantial loss of water due to evaporation and infiltration as well as increased energy consumption due to the need for relift pumps to move water from the storage reservoir back into the distribution system. In addition, water remaining in the storage reservoir for extended periods of time becomes too saline for irrigation use so the water must be released and the reservoir refilled.

Description

To remedy this situation, the District is proposing a project to construct an interconnect system to convey water from Canal C to Canal 13-A1, thus eliminating the need for Reservoir No. 7. The main components of the project include:

• Construction of a 5,920-foot concrete interconnect canal with geomembrane lining
• Modifications to enlarge and raise Canal 39 to convey water from Canal B to the Interconnect Canal
• Installation of a new pump and pipeline to serve farmland currently irrigated with water pumped directly from Reservoir No. 7

Benefits

In addition to significant water savings, the system will improve water conveyance efficiency and will reduce energy consumption and maintenance costs. Annual water savings are estimated at 9,129 ac-ft/yr, and energy savings at 302,688 kWh/yr.