Officials celebrate project to cut water loss on All-American Canal

From the Los Angeles Times:

At a patch of desert 35 miles east of El Centro and barely 50 yards north of the metal fence that separates the United States and Mexico, officials of several sometimes warring water agencies came together to celebrate the nearly completed project to line 23 miles with concrete to prevent seepage. The section was considered the leakiest part of the earthen canal.

The project is part of an agreement under which the Imperial Irrigation District, the canal’s operator, grudgingly agreed to sell some of its mammoth share of the Colorado River to water-deprived San Diego County. The cost of the $300-million project was split between the state government and the San Diego County Water Authority.

Lester A. Snow, director of the California Department of Water Resources, praised more than 300 officials and others at the ceremony for overcoming numerous political, legal and financial problems when much of state government seems paralyzed. He joked that he was carrying a message from the governor: “Congratulations on finally getting something done in this state.”

Lining the earthen canal is seen as a major step toward Southern California learning to live within a “water budget” instead of looking to the Colorado River or Northern California for more water.

“The era of limits on the Colorado River imposes new expectations — and responsibilities — on all water users,” said Brian Brady, general manager of the Imperial Irrigation District.

Read more from the Los Angeles Times by clicking here.

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