Friant-kern Canal needs attention

Officials with the federal Bureau of Reclamation, along with the Friant Water Authority, have their work cut out for them in coming up with needed repairs to the Friant-kern Canal which runs from Millerton Lake to basically the Kern River.

The 60-plus yearold canal is in need of attention and in some areas, quicker attention than the rest.

Officials have pointed out that subsidence — the sinking of the ground — has caused flow issues in the canal between the Tule River and White River southwest of Porterville.

The canal, which relies on the downslope and a few pumping stations to move water 152 miles, has seen some areas drop as much as 2 feet in the past few years. It is not the first time subsidence has affected the canal, but the current issue is severe enough that it needs immediate attention. The last time subsidence required repairs to the canal was in 1979 when the banks were raised 6-feet to compensate for past and future subsidence.

Also, officials told us the entire length of the canal needs attention to keep the 6-inches per mile slope in place to move the water as it was designed.

There is no threat to the public that the canal will fail. The problem is the canal cannot carry as much water as designed south of Porterville, and that is a problem for users from Porterville to Kern County. However, other issues along the length of the canal will be addressed soon to ensure it meets the demand of all users along the canal.

We were pleased to hear Congressman Kevin Mccarthy is working on the problem and looking for the money which will be needed to at least address the subsidence issues southwest of Porterville. The sooner the money can be allocated, the sooner the canal can be repaired. Then, officials can begin to look for the long-term fixes for the entire length of the canal.

More than a million people rely on the canal — some for drinking water and others for groundwater recharge and irrigation. Also, with the pending Sustainable Groundwater Act that will limit what farmers and even cities can pump from the underground, the canal’s importance grows tenfold.

It is an important structure in the South Valley and it needs to function as it was designed.

Editorials in The Porterville Recorder are the opinion of the editorial board which consists of Publisher Rick Elkins and the managing editor. Other columns, letters and cartoons on this page express the opinions of the authors and not necessarily of The Recorder.