Path Continues
County board to consider MOU for Friant-kern repairs
The process continues toward the much-needed repairs of the Friantkern Canal with the Tulare County Board of Supervisors considering to take one more step in the process at its next meeting.
The board will consider a Memorandum of Understanding with the Friant Water Authority that oversees the Friantkern Canal and the Bureau of Reclamation for the Friant-kern Canal Middle Reach Capacity Correction Project.
The project will consist of repairs to be done on a 33-mile stretch of the canal from between Lindsay and Strathmore to north Kern County. The MOU is one more step toward when the repairs of the canal can begin.
It’s estimated the area in which the Friant-kern Canal will be repaired has sustained a 60 percent reduction in conveyance ability or its ability to deliver water. Due to issues such as how water is distributed in the state, growers have had to pump more and more water out of the ground. This has caused subsidence, sinking of the canal, that has led to the reduction in its ability to deliver water.
The project will extend from south of Avenue 208 between Lindsay and Strathmore to the Lake Woollomes Check in North Tulare County.
The county staff report states the project will impact County of Tulare (County) infrastructure and property, including right-of-way, bridges, drainage facilities, roads, surveying monuments, and utilities.” The MOU will basically cover what costs the county absorbs from the project the Friant Water Authority will agree to cover. The project will be separated into four segments:
In segment 1 the existing Friant-kern Canal will be enlarged from Avenue 208 to just downstream of the Avenue 152 Tule River siphon, ½ mile north of Avenue 152. The first segment will cover about 7.4 and will increase the capacity of the canal to deliver
a maximum design flow of 4,500 cubic feet per second.
The enlargement will consist of raising the embankments and concrete liner of the canal for maximum flow. The raise will be accomplished by placing new concrete lining above the existing lining and extending the height of the earthen canal banks and corresponding maintenance access roads. No modifications will be needed to the county’s existing bridges as a result of segment 1 of the project.
Segments 2 and 3 will consist of about 17 miles of new concrete lined trapezoidal canal located parallel to the east of the existing canal from just south of the Tule River check, 1/2 mile north of Avenue 152 to Avenue 32. The new parallel canal will restore a maximum delivery capacity of 4,000 cfs.
In these segments, road crossings will be constructed using castin-place concrete box siphons that divert water flows below existing road grades. New turnout structures will be provided to replace turnout structures that have been abandoned at the old canal.
Turnouts will be tied into existing water contractor delivery systems. New checks, wasteways, and siphons will be required for Deer Creek and White River along with new control buildings and associated electrical, mechanical, and controls equipment.
Segment 4 will continue the new parallel canal from Avenue 32 to Avenue 16 where the new parallel canal ties back into the existing canal. Siphon construction at new roadway crossings and new turnout construction will be done.
Segment 4 also consists of canal enlargement from Avenue 16 past County to Woollomes Avenue in Kern County which will restore a maximum delivery capacity of 3,500 cfs. The existing bridges in segment four will also need no modifications.
Existing turnout delivery structures on the canal will remain with modifications needed at some turnout structures to extend the height of the existing turnout walls and top deck to match the new canal lining and bank heights. Segment 4 also contains the existing earthen canal section west of Lake Woollomes that won’t be modified as part of the Project.
Construction of new Concrete Box Siphons for roadway crossing will be part of segments 2, 3 and 4 of the project. The new concrete box siphons will generally consist of buried cast-inplace concrete triple box siphons.
All new siphon crossings will be maintained by FWA. Along segments 2, 3, and 4 existing county bridges will remain in place and county maintenance responsibilities will remain unchanged.
It’s hoped the project can be constructed in two phases. Phase 1 of the project will include all work from the Avenue 128 bridge to just downstream of a private farm bridge located along Avenue 64. The goal is for phase 1 of the repairs to be completed in 2024.
Overall the project will restore the canal’s capacity from 1,600 cfs to 4,000 cfs
The federal governing is providing $206 million for the project. Since FWA will have to reimburse the federal government for some costs of the project the federal government and FWA have negotiated a repayment contract.
Cost of the repairs is estimated to be $500 million. The federal government can provide funding up to $250. Whatever FWA owes the federal government it will pay for each phase over 30 years.
FWA has approved a funding plan for the project which includes the $206 million from the federal government, $43 million from the San Joaquin River Restoration Project and $50 million from Friant-kern contractors.
The repayment contract can be reviewed at this link: https://www.usbr.gov/mp/friant/ docs/friant-kern-canalmiddle-reach-extraordinary-maintenance-contract-final.pdf Written comments on the contract must be received by the close of business day, September 1, and can be sent to Barbara Hidleburg-johnson, California-great Basin Regional Office, Bureau of Reclamation, 2800 Cottage Way, CGB 440, Sacramento 95825 or emailed to bhidleburg@usbr.gov
As part of the project the board on Tuesday will also hold a public hearing and consider abandoning a road near Richgrove to make room for the canal repairs. This is also a schedule item on the board agenda.
Avenue 32 between Road 184 and Road 192 would be abandoned. The two property owners adjacent to the road to be abandoned have provided letters in support of
the abandonment.