Mechanical Maintenance In-the-Wet on the Salt River Project Irrigation System

The Salt River Project (SRP) is the nation's third-largest public power utility, Arizona's largest water supplier and the oldest multi-purpose reclamation enterprise in the United States. Rapid, large scale urbanization of the SRP water service area is necessitating significant changes in operations and maintenance. This paper discusses SRP's current and future approaches to maintenance in the wet. Topics include canal maintenance, weed control, standardized bulkhead units, canal dredging, brushing for algae removal and designs for floating platforms from which to perform a variety of types of canal maintenance with minimal impact on water delivery or canal bank recreation.