Groundbreaking of Friant-Kern Canal held

TERRA BELLA – A "historic ceremony" is what was heard again and again Tuesday afternoon by numerous keynote speakers who gathered at the Friant-Kern Canal near the intersection of Avenue 96 and Road 208 in Terra Bella to celebrate the groundbreaking of a $187 million construction project to restore capacity in a 10-mile portion of the Friant-Kern Canal.

The event marked the beginning of Phase 1 of a multi-phased construction project – the Friant-Kern Canal Middle Reach Capacity Correction – to restore capacity in a total of 33 miles of the existing canal damaged from subsidence, a sinking of the ground from groundwater removal.

Friant Water Authority (FWA) Chief Executive Officer Jason Phillips served as emcee, offering a welcome and introducing of all the key speakers.

"Today's groundbreaking is the culmination of five years of dedicated work to design and fund a project to address the most severe subsidence on any major canal in the San Joaquin Valley. While many water projects throughout the West take decades to plan and implement, this project is turning dirt today and will in a few short years restore critical water deliveries that support the San Joaquin Valley's businesses, communities and farms," Phillips said. "This effort wouldn't be possible without the support of our local, federal and state partners, all of whom deserve credit for this major milestone."

Phase 1 of the project includes constructing of 10 miles of new concrete-lined canal to replace one of the most damaged areas of the canal's subsiding middle reach. The project is funded by the Bureau of Reclamation, Friant Water Authority, and Department of Water Resources, with phase 1 of the project anticipated to be completed and fully operational by January 2024.

"What once seemed impossible has quickly and impressionably come within reach," Phillips said. "Today is a day that should be celebrated. Some feel like this is the end of the beginning."

Phillips then introduced Cliff Loeffler, FWA Board Chairman.

"What we celebrate today is a tangible step following many years of study, planning, discussion and debate," said Loeffler. "As one of the Friant Water Authority directors who has been involved in the process from the beginning, this day represents more than just the physical start to the subsidence fix."

The celebration is about looking ahead, he said, and not getting mired in distraction and debate.

"Today we celebrate the fact that a group of independent farmers could agree to move ahead so that the legacy of providing water to the eastern portions of the San Joaquin Valley could be preserved, even enhanced, for future generations."

Farmers, Loeffler said, are known for their grit, determination and independence.

"Those qualities include looking to alternatives in solving problems and creating new ways to get things done," Loeffler said. "In that sense, the independence and determination of our Farmer/Directors representing the farms, families and towns along the east side of the Valley deserve a hearty thank you for their sustained efforts in bringing this project to this historic point."

And after identifying the problem of reduced water delivery, determining options and potential solutions, they had to figure out how to make it work and how to pay for it, Loeffler said.

And through numerous conversations with friends in the Federal and State Legislatures, Bureau of Reclamation, Office of Management and Budget, and numerous other agencies, a path was slowly forged, bringing about the funding needed, Loeffler said as he praised and thanked his many predecessors by name and the work they provided.

That included an agreement with the Eastern Tule Groundwater Sustainability Agency in which the agency will provide a minimum of $125 million for damage caused by the over pumping of groundwater.

State Senator Melissa Hurtado (D-Sanger) was also present at the groundbreaking celebration.

"This year will mark a turning point in human security due to the increasing water scarcity across Western States," Hurtado said. "Now more than ever we need to secure clean water for generations to come. Today's groundbreaking will allow us to conserve this precious natural resource that represents life, food, good health and so much more. This major milestone is the hard work of many men and women before me."

The Senator said it was an emotional day. Three years ago, in Sacramento, no one really knew of the importance of the Friant-Kern Canal, she said. But now they do.

"People know about it. People know about the impact it plays," Hurtado said. "Our water system is broken and we need to repair it so it works for all of California."

One by one, keynote speakers stepped forward to say a few words.

"Drought, climate change, and less certain precipitation events call for the need to develop innovative and sustainable water management solutions," said Department of Interior's Assistant Secretary for Water and Science Tanya Trujillo. "This project will increase water supply reliability in the San Joaquin Valley and symbolizes the benefits of working together with partners to develop ways to utilize the significant investment opportunities to modernize infrastructure that the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law can provide."

The 152-mile Friant-Kern Canal plays a critical role in delivering water to 1 million acres of highly-productive farmland and more than 250,000 people from Fresno to Bakersfield.

Since the canal's construction in 1951, more than 50 percent of its original conveyance capacity in the middle reach has been lost due to land subsidence.

"This project symbolizes the importance of strong partnerships so that we can address critical repair needs on our state's aging water infrastructure," said Department of Water Resources Director Karla Nemeth. "Restoring the capacity of our existing infrastructure is an important step toward diversifying water supplies by supporting groundwater replenishment throughout the Central Valley and water recycling projects in Southern California."

The celebration symbolizes what can happen when federal, state and local agencies partner together to address water supply challenges, said Reclamation Regional Director Ernest Conant.

"The groundbreaking marks a critical milestone in one of Reclamation's highest priorities to provide water supply reliability to one of the most productive agriculture regions in the nation," Conant said. "We are very pleased to get the project underway."

Bureau of Reclamation Deputy Commissioner David Palumbo said there's still a lot of work left to do.

"It shouldn't take three administrations to get to this project," Palumbo said. "It's not just about farming, but community."

Congressman Jim Costa said the day was about future investments.

"Today is about investing in our valley's, California's and America's future," Costa said before talking of the wear and tear of the canal, and the largest single investment signed and voted into law in November 2021 – a reclamation over 50 years.

"Where's the money going?" he asked before answering $1.15 billion of federal funds was intended for water storage. "Which we hope the bulk of it will be in California."

Costa finished by breaking down where federal money was going, including $3.2 billion towards aging infrastructure, $1 billion for rural water projects, $500 million to deal with size and other aging issues of reservoirs, $400 million for WATERSmart program grants; $54 billion for clean drinking water for communities without adequate clean drinking water.

"This is about the most important issue that I can think of in our nation and that's food security," he said. "If water flows, food grows. And the fact that 4 percent of America's population is directly involved in the production of food and fiber that puts dinner on America's table every night, is a national security issue. And therefore we need to continue to make these kinds of investments to ensure that we can feed our country and not only do that but also feed parts of the world."

The official ground breaking – the shoveling of dirt – followed before the program came to an end.

Following the program, Phillips talked about the benefits of fixing the canal, which will enable hundreds of thousands of acres of land access to more surface water again that currently isn't available because of the restrictions of the conveyance capacity.

"In three years when this project is done, there'll be lands, hundreds of thousands of acres, that can have access to water," Phillips said. "Surface water reduce their dependency of ground water."