Main Canal
Rebuilt and Widened
New Pump Stations
Reduce Energy Cost
New 72″ Pipeline Carry
4X More Water
Watch the video to learn more about the project
In the early 2000’s the Patterson Irrigation District (PID or District) embarked on the replacement of its pump station off the San Joaquin River to have a pump station with a fish screen that would allow diversions without impacts to the out-migrating salmonids. In partnership of the State of California and the United States Department of Interior, the pump station was completed in 2011, with a total pumping capacity of 200 cubic feet per second (cfs) into PID’s Main Canal. In addition, while the fish screen pump station was in construction, in 2008 PID also started construction of Pumping Plant 6. Pumping Plant 6 provided PID the ability to move water from PID’s 5-south lateral into the service area north of Elfers Avenue and east of Ward, and to deliver water into the Delta-Mendota Canal (DMC) at up to 40 cfs. With the combination of the two facilities, PID was able to move water through its system or “wheel” for partners, including the Federal Government who needed to put water into the DMC.
In 2013, PID developed a feasibility study for the East-West Conveyance Project (Project). The primary purpose of the study was to evaluate the condition of the existing pump stations and canal along the Main Canal and replace the system; this was due to the 100 years of wear and tear on the pump stations and related infrastructure. The goal was to determine which option for replacement of the Main Canal would get the most “bang for the buck” of PIDs investment to replace the facilities. In that process it was found that PID could enhance capacity of the Main Canal without spending substantially more than just replacing the existing pump stations through matching the pumping capacity off of the San Joaquin River. Included in the feasibility study was the expanded capacity of pumping into the DMC with the ability to pump and additional 160 cfs into the DMC.
The East-West Conveyance Project is broken out into two phases. The first is the rehabilitation of the Main Canal with consolidating pumping plants 2 and 3 into 1, pumping plants 4 and 5 into 1, and rebuilding the Main Canal. The second phase is the construction of a 160 cfs pump station to the DMC. Design for both phases have been completed and most of phase 1 has been constructed with rebuilding the Main Canal left, and all of phase 2 remaining.
Once the improvements are completed, PID would benefit from more operational flexibility by enabling pumping more efficiently throughout the District to meet water demands to its growers, alleviate concerns regarding subsidence impacts, seismic concerns, and pump efficiently to not waste power. This project will also provide significant and lasting benefits to the environment by allowing room for the recapture and recirculation of San Joaquin River Restoration flows to satisfy the needs of Central Valley Refuges to the south of the District.
