Work under way on All American Canal

After a year's delay, construction has begun on a project to line 23 miles of the All American Canal west of Yuma.

By last week, construction crews were at work while fleets of dirt-hauling trucks were lined up.

The first phase of the project is to construct access roads to the canal and to dig a temporary diversion canal to carry water while the existing canal is lined with concrete, said Kevin Kelly, spokesman for Imperial Irrigation and Drainage District. The district operates the federal waterway under a contract with the Department of Interior.

The project involves lining 23 miles of the canal with concrete from Pilot Knob to the west, Kelley said. That area of the 82-mile-long canal has the worst seepage because of its sandy soil.

The All American Canal carries more than 3 million acre-feet of Colorado River water a year from Morelos Dam near Andrade, Calif., to Imperial County, where it irrigates thousands of acres of farmland and keeps the taps running for the county's residents and businesses.

When completed, the two-year project is expected to save 67,700 acre-feet of water a year now lost because of seepage, Kelly said. One acre-foot of water is considered enough for a family of four for a year.

But it was that very seepage that led to legal challenges and the delay. Environmentalists and businesses on both sides of the border claimed that the seepage from the 70-year-old canal has become a vital water source for the Mexicali Valley aquifer.

However, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco lifted its injunction last month, clearing the way for the project to proceed, said Kelley.

The delay was a costly one. Kelley said latest estimates of the cost are $285 million, up from $215 million a year ago.

Funding for canal project is being provided by the state of California and city of San Diego.

The All-American Canal lining is part of the state's effort to comply with a multi-state water pact that calls for California to scale back its use of Colorado River water to live within its allocation of 4.4 million acre-feet. The lion's share of that water goes to Imperial County, which is entitled to 3.1 million acre-feet.

As part of the pact, the Imperial Irrigation and Drainage District will be transferring about 200,000 acre-feet of water a year to the San Diego Water Authority and another 100,000 acre-feet to the Coachella Valley Water District.

"San Diego will be the ultimate beneficiary of the saved water," Kelly said.

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Joyce Lobeck can be reached at jlobeck@yumasun.com or 539-6853.