All-American Canal needs safety features to prevent drownings, activists say; Canal often crossed by illegal immigrants

From the San Diego Union Tribune:

“The long-anticipated task of lining 23 miles of the All-American Canal in Imperial Valley with concrete is nearly complete, but controversy over the fallout of the project continues to simmer.

Human rights organizations and activists gathered Wednesday in front of the San Diego County Water Authority office in Kearny Mesa to protest what they said was a lack of adequate safety measures in the lined portion of the canal, which is regularly crossed by people being smuggled illegally into the country.

Seventeen body bags were laid on the ground outside the building, one for each drowning death in the canal since early August 2008, they said.

“It has become a mass graveyard,” said John Hunter, a San Diego physicist who volunteers setting up water stations in the desert. … “

Read more from the San Diego Union Tribune by clicking here.

From the North County Times:

” … Nearly 600 people have drowned in the canal over the years, mostly illegal immigrants from Mexico, according to the protesters. Since August, when the Water Authority was alerted to the problem, 17 people have drowned, the protesters said.

The protesters get their numbers from activist John Hunter, who says he has found the names for all the drowned going back to 1942. Hunter has posted them at www.allamericancanal.org.

The 82-mile canal runs from the Colorado River to the Imperial Irrigation District in the Imperial Valley. It parallels the U.S.-Mexico border most of the way, making it an obstacle illegal immigrants must cross. The Water Authority has paid to line 23 miles of the canal, which reduces loss from seepage.

Climb-outs, fences, ropes and buoy systems located near ladders are needed, said Rebecca Rauber, a spokeswoman for the ACLU of San Diego and Imperial Counties.

“While we understand that each of us absolutely bears personal responsibility in the decisions we make, when our governments design systems and employ practices that have such devastating results as we see in the All-American Canal, the governments also have a shared responsibility to ensure public safety,” Rauber said. “If things can be done to save lives, why wouldn’t we do it?” … “

Read more from the North County Times by clicking here.

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