SRP’s Annual Southside Canal Dry-up Starts Friday

Portions of the South, Consolidated, Eastern, Tempe, Western and Highline canals on the south side of the Salt River will be drained for annual maintenance and construction activities. Many of Salt River Project’s southside irrigation customers will not receive water from the canals during the dry-up. The affected areas include Mesa, Tempe, Gilbert, Chandler and south Phoenix.

During this dry-up SRP will examine the canals and underwater structures to look for evidence of invasive adult quagga mussels, which recently were discovered at the head of the SRP canal system in the CAP-SRP Interconnect channel near Granite Reef Diversion Dam in east Mesa.

When: The southside dry-up will take place from Friday, Nov. 21, through Dec. 21.

A second dry-up, for SRP canals located north of the Salt River, is scheduled from Jan. 9 to Feb. 8, 2009.

SRP is responsible for keeping its canal system in operating condition during normal water deliveries. Canal dry-ups allow SRP as well as other utilities and municipalities to perform construction and maintenance activities in and around the canals. For their safety, Valley residents who use the canal banks for recreational activities should note the increased construction and maintenance activities along the canal banks. Under no circumstances should local residents enter the canals. Posted warning signs should be obeyed.

During this dry-up, weed-eating white amur fish that are used to control aquatic vegetation in the canals will be relocated to other areas of the canal system. The herding and relocation of the fish will be conducted during the first few days of the dry-up schedule, starting Saturday morning. SRP now utilizes white amurs throughout its 131-mile Valley canal system.

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