TULARE COUNTY, CA — The Bureau of Reclamation, Friant Water Authority, and California Department of Water Resources recently broke ground on a $177-million construction project to restore capacity in a 10-mile portion of the Friant-Kern Canal in Central California. Global design firm Stantec is assisting the agencies on the critically needed multiphase Friant-Kern Canal Middle Reach Capacity Correction Project.

Ultimately, the project will restore and preserve original design capacity to 33 miles of the Friant-Kern Canal damaged from subsidence — a sinking of the earth from groundwater removal. The project will restore water delivery to more than 1 million acres of farmland and 250,000 residents in California’s eastern San Joaquin Valley, returning capacity from the current estimated 1,600 cubic-feet-per-second to the original 4,000 cubic-feet-per-second.

Stantec provided planning, environmental compliance, permitting, and design of the full 33-mile project, which is estimated to cost $500 million. The 10-mile Phase 1 — for which Stantec is providing construction support — is scheduled for completion in 2024.

“This is a critically important large infrastructure project that will provide water for farmland and residents,” said Janet Atkinson, Stantec Vice President and Project Manager. “As California continues to face drought, climate change, and less consistent precipitation, it’s critical to develop innovative and sustainable water management solutions.”