California Water News Daily Your Source For Water News in California
After years of vying for funding to fix a 33-mile stretch of the Friant-Kern Canal, the Friant Water Authority and the Bureau of Reclamation have awarded a contract to Brosamer & Wall/Tutor Perini Joint Venture for phase one of the Friant-Kern Canal Middle Reach Capacity Correction Project.
The $177 million contract includes 10 miles of new canal with eight concrete inverted siphons below various structures and creeks along with various concrete turnout structures, and other miscellaneous work.
“Repairing this portion of the Friant-Kern Canal provides significant improvement for the canal’s conveyance capacity and is a key priority for Reclamation and the Central Valley Project,” said Reclamation Regional Director Ernest Conant. ” We are looking forward to working with FWA and Brosamer & Wall/Tutor Perini Joint Venture to have shovels in the ground by the end of the year a significant step to providing reliable water supplies to farms and communities throughout the eastern San Joaquin Valley.
“After more than four years of work to assess the canal’s problems, develop designs to fix it, and assemble an initial funding and financing package, we are thrilled to take this enormous step toward restoring critical water deliveries that support the San Joaquin Valley’s businesses, communities, and farms,” said Friant Water Authority Chief Executive Officer, Jason Phillips. “FWA looks forward to launching this phase of work with our partners at Reclamation and Brosamer & Wall/Tutor Perini Joint Venture.”
The total project is estimated to cost around $500 million and will eventually restore water delivery to over one million acres of farmland and 250,000 residents in California’s eastern San Joaquin Valley.
Construction is expected to begin in November 2021 with substantial completion anticipated in June 2024.
