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Coachella canal lining project receives award

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on July 4, 2008 at 7:12 am

From Desert Local News:

GEI Consultants, Inc., one of the nation’s leading water resources, geotechnical, and environmental engineering firms, announced today that the Coachella Canal Lining Project was named the 2007 Project of the Year by the San Diego Chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). As part of a multi-firm team, GEI provided design, construction management, and construction support services for the project.

The Coachella Canal Lining Project is a substantial accomplishment in meeting a goal of the 2003 Quantification Settlement Agreement to conserve Colorado River water. Prior to lining the last remaining earthen section of the canal with concrete, approximately 26,000 acre-feet of water seeped through the canal annually. Now, instead of losing this precious resource through seepage, the conserved water is conveyed to San Diego for use.

“Water conservation, and the efficient use of water, is an important issue to California and all the other Colorado River Basin states,” said Wayne Dahl, Western Regional Water Manager for GEI, and engineer-of-record for the project. “Winning this award highlights the exceptional cooperation and resourcefulness demonstrated by the project partners to complete the project on schedule with no interruption of water deliveries to Coachella Valley growers.”

The Coachella Valley Water District, the operator of the canal, was able to convey normal water deliveries during construction because the water never stopped flowing. The project team achieved this feat by constructing a new, concrete-lined canal parallel to the old canal within the same right-of-way.