Project Title and Location: Madera Canal Capacity Restoration Project
Project Owner: US Bureau of Reclamation, Mid Pacific Region
Performance Period and Duration: 2014-2015
Project Role: Subcontractor to Water Resources Engineering
Scope and Complexity:
Madera Canal is supplied with water from Friant Dam, as part of the Central Valley Project. This canal starts at Friant Dam, approximately 18 miles northeast of Fresno, CA and ends in the city of Chowchilla, CA. The Madera Canal was designed and built in the early 1940’s to deliver water from Lake Millerton to the nearby farmlands through agreements with Madera Irrigation District and Chowchilla Water District. The canal geometry has been rehabilitated and modified over the years, nevertheless the current canal capacity is below its original design which is as follows:
- Mile 0.33 to Mile 6.10: 1,275 cfs
- Mile 6.10 to Mile 19.50 (Upper Boundary of Equalizing Reservoir): 1,075 cfs
- Mile 21.78 (Lower Boundary of Equalizing Reservoir) to Mile 24.10: 1,000 cfs
- Mile 24.1 to Mile 35.69: 750 cfs
Under a settlement agreement, the US Department of Interior agreed to analyze the feasibility of actions to restore the Madera Canal capacity and/or optimize the canal operations in order to improve the reliability of water deliveries to the contractors served by the canal. Actions are not limited to the canal geometry but will also include operations, control systems, and integration of other water supplies.
This project is performed under a contract to General Services Administration on behalf of the project owner, US Bureau of Reclamation, Mid Pacific Region. The Veridico scope is to support the plan formulation and the feasibility study reports.
