Repair and replacement water canal

Existing water canals were in need of repair or replacement. Part of a water line in an agricultural community was converted from the current open trapezoidal channel to a new underground water pipe. Another part utilised TILTEX 7 to line an open trapezoidal canal.

This canal served a farming community prone to excessive temperatures near the Mexican border. As this canal is vital to the community, it could not be out of service more than five days in total. It took 3 days to complete the TILTEX application, and a fourth day for hydration in the overly dry climate conditions.

The Irrigation District was unable to continue with running/installing the new style underground pipe due to property rights. A “dog-leg” canal had to be excavated in order to direct water flow from the new water pipe back to the old open style canal. This canal was intended to be temporary, as it could take many years to acquire the property.

There were some difficult angles to overcome in the transition from TILTEX to the existing concrete vault. The installation of the material differed from typical application in that it was applied from the upstream side, resulting in extra attention to seam security.

TILTEX 7 was ultimately chosen over alternative materials for several reasons: Given the shorter section with two curves, traditional concrete was going to be more costly and time intensive, which would delay the canal being put back into use. Comparatively, other geomembrane options would have been susceptible to vandalism and animal damage.