A groundbreaking ceremony celebrating the beginning of a $187 million project to renovate a 10-mile stretch of the Fraint-Kern Canal in Central California took place Jan. 25.
The Bureau of Reclamation, Fraint Water Authority and the California Department of Water Resources are partnering for the project to restore capacity to the canal, a BOR release stated. Department of the Interior Assistant Secretary for Water and Science Tanya Trujillo participated in the groundbreaking and highlighted the department’s goals of enhanced water management and drought mitigation.
“Drought, climate change, and less certain precipitation events call for the need to develop innovative and sustainable water management solutions,” Trujillo said in the release.
The release also noted that President Joe Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law earmarks $8.3 billion to the BOR to fund water recycling and efficiency efforts as well as rural water projects. The funds will also support WaterSMART grants that help ensure irrigators, Tribes, and adjoining communities have access to proper support.
“The groundbreaking marks a critical milestone in one of Reclamation’s highest priorities to provide water supply reliability to one of the most productive agriculture regions in the nation,” Reclamation Regional Director Ernest Conant said in the release.
The canal delivers water to more than 1 million acres of farmland and more than 250,000 residents, according to the BOR. Diminished capacity has had an adverse impact on the region.
“This project will increase water supply reliability in the San Joaquin Valley and symbolizes the benefits of working together with partners to develop ways to utilize the significant investment opportunities to modernize infrastructure that the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law can provide,’ Trujillo said.
The renovation will include 10 miles of newly lined concrete for the canal, the release stated. Repairs are expected to be completed in January 2024.
