Canal Lining Projects Overview Authority obtained the In October 2003, the San Diego County AF = acre-foot rights to conserved Water Authority, Coachella Valley Water Dis- water from the canal One acre-foot is trict, Imperial Irrigation District, Metropolitan linings, approximately approximately Water District of Southern California, State 325,900 gallons, 80,000 acre-feet per of California, and U.S. Department of the enough to supply year for 110 years. The Interior completed an ambitious and complex 2.5 single-family lining projects conserve DIVERSIFICATION set of agreements to conserve and transfer households of four water lost due to seep- for a year. Enhancing Water Colorado River water. Supply Reliability age and help California One of the key agreements, known as reduce its overdepen- the Colorado River Quantification Settle- dence on Colorado River water. ment Agreement, settled decades of dispute The lining projects also provide San Diego over Colorado River water use and provided County with a highly reliable water supply for a means for California to live within its 4.4 generations to come. million acre-foot of basic annual apportion- ment of water from the Colorado River. The The Canal System agreements also help the state’s largest urban The 82-mile All-American Canal is in the regions avoid economically damaging reduc- southeastern corner of California, conveying tions in water use. water from the Colorado River to California’s Imperial Valley. The 123-mile Coachella The All-American and Coachella Canals Canal is a branch of the All-American Canal that delivers water to California’s Coachella Valley. Under the canal lining projects, ap- proximately 23 miles of parallel, concrete- Salton Sea 111 lined canal were constructed next to the original All-American Canal, and 35 miles of Coachella parallel, concrete-lined canal were construct- ed next to the original Coachella Canal. Canal N Water flows were then diverted into the concrete-lined sections, significantly reducing the amount of water loss through leakage and 86 allowing conserved water to be put to use. 111 El Centro The Parties 8 The following organizations were respon- All-American Canal sible for completing the canal lining projects: 98 Mexico • San Diego County Water Authority • Coachella Valley Water District The All-American and Coachella canal • Imperial Irrigation District lining projects are critical components of the • State of California Quantification Settlement Agreement. • U.S. Bureau of Reclamation As part of these agreements, the Water • San Luis Rey Indian settlement parties The San Diego County Water Authority sustains a $245 billion regional economy and the quality of life for 3.3 million residents through a multi-decade water supply diversification plan, major infrastructure investments and forward-thinking policies that February 2020 promote fiscal and environmental responsibility. A public agency created in 1944, the Water Authority delivers wholesale water supplies to 24 retail water providers, including cities, special districts and a military base. Canal Lining Projects Benefits Wister Waterfowl Management Area that is Constructing concrete-lined canals along- owned by the California Department of Fish side the existing earthen canals resulted in an and Wildlife. Additionally, 17 acres of marsh annual savings of 93,700 acre-feet of water were constructed in the Dos Palmas Area of – 67,700 acre-feet on the All-American Critical Environmental Concern, providing Canal and 26,000 acre-feet on the Coach- new habitat for wildlife. Ongoing mitigation ella Canal. efforts include upgrading, maintaining and monitoring habitats in Dos Palmas Oasis, as Under the agreement, the Water Authority well as restoring 352 acres of desert riparian receives approximately 80,000 acre-feet of habitat. conserved water per year for 110 years. The rest of the conserved water from the projects State Investment belongs to several bands of Mission Indians Recognizing the importance of the Quanti- in northern San Diego County – known as the fication Settlement Agreement’s goals of con- San Luis Rey settlement parties – to settle a serving water and reducing overall water de- water rights dispute with the federal govern- mand, the State of California helped pay for ment and decades of litigation. the canal lining projects. The California Water The canal lining projects have helped the Code authorized and appropriated $200 Water Authority achieve its goals of water million for the projects under the General supply diversification and improved water Fund’s Colorado River Management Account. supply reliability. The canal lining water Each project also received $9.65 million from made up 17 percent of the Water Authority’s Proposition 50, and the All-American Canal water supply in 2019. Over the 110-year Lining Project also received $34.74 million term of the agreement, 8.5 million acre-feet from Proposition 84. will flow to San Diego County. This project is a Project Status critical component of the agency’s water sup- The Coachella Canal Lining Project was ply diversification efforts. completed in 2007. The All-American Canal Mitigation Lining Project was finished in 2010. 4677 Overland Ave. San Diego, California The canal lining projects required exten- Summary 92123-1233 sive environmental mitigation, some of which The All-American and Coachella canal is ongoing. As part of the fishery mitigation lining projects have provided a new and 858.522.6700 requirement, fish were relocated from the ca- highly reliable, 110-year water supply for nal systems into nearby lakes, and a 50-acre San Diego County. The projects are a vital sdcwa.org Sports Fishery Pond was constructed on the component of the Water Authority’s efforts to diversify and improve the reliability of San Diego County’s water supply. Lining the All-American and Coachella canals conserves approximately 80,000 acre-feet of water annually for use by @sdcwa the Water Authority. Printed on recycled paper.