In 2006, the North Kern Water Storage District formulated the System Operations Improvement Project that included improving the Calloway Canal with concrete lining to prevent seepage and improve conveyance efficiency.
Concrete lining the Calloway Canal reduces losses for wet year District operations and allows the efficient delivery of water supplies from the west side of the San Joaquin Valley into North Kern for recharge (and also the possible future conveyance of supplies from North Kern back to the Cross Valley Canal (CVC) and California Aqueduct). This project is part of the Poso Creek Integrated Regional Water Management Plan. The District has obtained several grants from the United States Bureau of Reclamation and the California Department of Water Resources to fund a portion of this project.
The District recently completed lining the Canal from Snow Road to 7th Standard Road. This project is a continuation of the previously lined sections of the Calloway Canal. So far, the District has lined about 5 miles of canal and has plans to line an additional 4.5 miles.
Water conservation Projects like this have several benefits
- Reduce existing “irrecoverable” water losses by effectively eliminating canal seepage in an area underlain by lower-quality groundwater.
- Improve water conveyance efficiency and conserve water.
- Reduce groundwater pumping to the extent that conserved water is delivered directly to an irrigation demand, which has regional implications owing to the very large, hydraulically connected groundwater basin.
- Energy is conserved due to less groundwater pumping.
- Provide for the efficient conveyance of additional third-party water banking and exchange supplies.
- Water conservation for the sections completed so far is estimated to be 10,000 AF.
