The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) announced Dec. 16 that Isotrope, LLC won its Canal Safety Challenge, according to a press release.
According to Irrigation Leader Magazine, there were three finalists: David Maxson of Isotope LLC, who created the Rescue Deck; Erling Juel of Greenfields Irrigation District, who created the Inclined Stepped Ramp; and Hunter Morrical of WGM Group, who created the Hydro Scoop. Devices were judge based on their ability to rescue a human dummy during testing, impacts to operation, debris management, cost and durability, as well as other factors.
Isotope's Rescue Deck is designed to reduce drownings in canals. The device features a gradual slope that, during testing, allowed for test dummies to wash up on the deck safely. Maxson said he wants to make his device “a real lifesaver in our irrigation canals.”
"Reclamation manages more than 8,000 miles of canals across the West and 10% of those are in urban areas," Chief Engineer David Raff said in the release. "Making canals safer to reduce drownings is an important initiative we are proud to support.”
Each of the three finalists received $50,000 for testing at the Reclamation Technical Service Center's Hydraulics Laboratory in Denver and Isotrope received an additional $100,000 for winning the challenge.
Canal safety is a big issue, according to the BOR. Canals may look inviting, but their swift-moving currents and structures could be dangerous. Most Reclamation canals are in remote, rural areas, and despite the outreach the BOR has performed to educate the public, canal safety is still an issue.
The BOR also awarded two honorable mentions in the competition to Northern Water in Berthoud, Colorado, and Peltonen & Sardi of Bellevue, Washington, for their innovative solutions.
