Tuesday June 25, 2024
SJV Water —
Sun-kissed waters flowing south in the Friant-Kern Canal provided a perfect backdrop on a hot summer morning for a ribbon-cutting celebration that drew more than 100 people, including a who’s-who of local, state and federal water managers.
An upbeat mood pervaded the gathering Friday, June 21, which marked the completion of Phase I of the Middle Reach Capacity Correction Project. As its name suggests, the massive, $325 million construction project in the middle portion of the 152-mile long canal adds room to the canal’s carrying capacity. About 1,000 cubic feet per second, to be exact.
“We identified this project in 2017, broke ground in 2022, and in 2024, we’re holding a ribbon cutting,” said Kristin White, deputy regional director of the Bureau of Reclamation’s California-Great Basin region. “This has got to be a record for a federally-led infrastructure project.”
The canal is owned by the federal government but operated by the Friant Water Authority.