TCID seeks permanent fix for canal

The Truckee-Carson Irrigation District is looking to construct a permanent fix early this week for the breach in the Truckee Canal that caused widespread flooding in Fernley Saturday, district President Ernie Schank said Sunday afternoon.

The break in the earthen canal was plugged as of 3:15 p.m. Saturday and a pipe installed by evening to evacuate any residual canal water from the site, he said. The width of the break in the canal was measured Sunday morning and found to be 40 feet long. TCID crews were also on site Sunday to shore up and monitor the repaired area.

A geologist and engineers from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, which overseas the Newlands Project, were in the area Sunday to assess the situation and provide technical supervision for a permanent repair, for which construction will begin this week, Schank said.

Schank said a specific cause still was unknown Sunday and may never be learned. One theory is that holes caused by rodents, a common problem with ditches and canals in the region, may have diminished the stability of the canal.

"To our knowledge, we've never had a problem in that particular area," he said. "It's certainly somewhat storm related. Whether it was rodents, there's no physical evidence of rodents in the area."

Schank said he's unsure when the use of the Truckee Canal to divert irrigation water from the Truckee River to Lake Lahontan will resume. Under TCID's federal Operating Criteria and Procedures, the district is allowed to divert water at this time of the year.

"We're eager to complete the repairs as quickly as possible so we can continue diversions," he said. "As far as a day and a time, I can't give that to you. I'm sure the folks in Fallon will be very interested in that."

However, Schank said safety was the district's top concern related to the Truckee Canal.

The response to the canal's breach was aided by the automation of the Gilpin Spill in 2007, Schank said, which allowed water to be dumped back into the Truckee River at 5:15 a.m. Previously, a trip to the spill would've been necessary to make the adjustment, time that likely would have lead to more flooding.

The city of Fernley, local residents and businesses also were helpful in reducing the response time through their communication and assistance, he said. Local contractors with heavy equipment joined the effort to repair the canal's breach on Saturday.