Agricultural Irrigation & Drainage

The Coachella Valley’s farmland is one of the largest contributors to the local economy. More than two-thirds of local farmland is irrigated partly with Colorado River water delivered from the Coachella Canal, a branch of the All-American Canal.

More than a century ago, farmers came to the Coachella Valley for cheap land, a warm climate for year-round growing, and a seemingly endless abundance of water. Because of plentiful artesian wells, much of that water once flowed freely to the surface. However, dropping groundwater levels in the 1920s and 1930s would have hurt agriculture and prevented the area from becoming a world-class tourist and resort destination. The Coachella Valley wouldn’t be what it is today without the Coachella canal and imported water supplies

CVWD also maintains the valley’s drainage system, which serves more than 37,400 acres of farmland.

Farmers and CVWD Take Conservation Actions

More than 60 % of agriculture acreage in CVWD’s service area is under drip or other micro-irrigation that delivers water near the base of plants.
More than 2/3 of local farmland is irrigated in part with Colorado River water.
Agricultural water deliveries are directly metered at all farm turnouts. The meter displays rate of delivery and total water delivered.
Underground pipes and metered deliveries drop system losses to 5%, which is low for industry standards.
CVWD lined a 49-mile section of the Coachella Canal. That saves 132,000 acre-feet of water per year.
CVWD lined the remaining 35-mile section of Coachella Canal (in conjunction with San Diego County Water Authority and San Luis Rey Band of Indians). That saves 26,000 acre-feet per year.

An Engineering Marvel

The Coachella Canal was considered an engineering marvel worldwide for decades after its construction. Water travels down the canal entirely by gravity flow, eliminating all electricity costs usually associated with pumping. These energy savings are passed on to canal customers through lower water rates.

Coachella Canal

CVWD manages the 123-mile Coachella Canal, which supplies water to approximately 78,000 acres of farmland, including multi-cropping. The water that flows through the canal travels several hundred miles, beginning at the Colorado River and is diverted into the All-American Canal at the Imperial Dam, located 18 miles north of Yuma, Arizona. The water is then diverted 37 miles downstream into the Coachella Canal, a branch of the All-American Canal.

History

In the late 1800s to early 1900s, farmers knew the land held great promise due to the deep, massive aquifer beneath the desert floor. Artesian wells could send water as high as 10 feet in the air. By 1915, groundwater levels dropped, and farmers recognized a need for supplemental water if the valley was to grow.

It took three more decades of political wrangling to ensure that Coachella farms continued producing some of the world's highest per-acre crop yields. The result was the 123-mile-long Coachella Canal branch of the All-American Canal, which delivers Colorado River water stored in Lake Mead behind Hoover Dam. The first local deliveries reached Coachella Valley farms in 1949.

Underground Delivery System

The Coachella Canal distribution system follows the natural slope of the land, allowing the free flow of water by gravity. A system of underground pipelines delivers water to farms at the highest point of every 40 acres of eligible land within CVWD’s service area. The 500-mile distribution system takes Colorado River water to 1,200 irrigation customers.

CVWD and farmers continue fostering measures to conserve water for the future. Recently, CVWD replaced 10 irrigation laterals at a cost of $60 million to improve water conservation. The Oasis in-Lieu project supplies up to 32,000 acre-feet of Colorado River water per year to properties in the Oasis area that use groundwater for irrigation.

Lake Cahuilla

Construction in 1969 of Lake Cahuilla gave CVWD greater control over the flow of canal water into the valley. When constructed, the lake was the largest soil-cement lined reservoir in the world. Lake Cahuilla’s storage ability is a valuable surplus in the event of changing irrigation needs. The lake is located between Avenues 56 and 58, west of Jefferson Street in La Quinta. It is 3/4 of a mile long, up to half that in width, 10 feet deep, and it holds about 1,300 acre-feet of water. Riverside County oversees the lake's recreational uses and stocks it with fish. Today, while fishing is prohibited along the canal, Lake Cahuilla is a popular spot for fishing, camping and day-use recreation.

Imported Water

Initially, water delivered from the canal was used exclusively by agriculture. As residential growth moved into the eastern valley other water users, primarily golf courses and homeowner associations, began using Colorado River water for large landscape irrigation. Using canal water for non-potable purposes helps conserve the valley's groundwater supply for domestic use.

Today, water imported via the Coachella Canal is also used at 2 groundwater replenishment facilities that benefit the eastern Coachella Valley’s aquifer. In the future, the canal may provide a potential source of water for CVWD to treat to drinking standards and deliver to urban customers.

Effective Drainage Disperses Harmful Salts

Shortly after work on the canal was completed, construction began on an underground tile drainage system designed to carry used agricultural irrigation water away from farmland and to the Salton Sea. Today, this system boasts nearly 2,200 miles of on-farm and district-maintained drains.

Experts believe many ancient civilizations based on agrarian agriculture perished because their farmland had inadequate drainage. As a result, salt buildup in the soil made it unusable for crops.

CVWD maintains the valley’s drainage system that serves more than 37,400 acres of farmland.

In 2005, CVWD received a state grant to research effective ways to desalinate drainage. In the future, the district intends to use up to 11,000 acre-feet of treated drainage annually for outdoor irrigation.

Along the Canal, Every Drop Counts

When built, the 37 most northern miles of the Coachella Canal were lined with concrete to ensure more efficient connections to the underground distribution system.

In 1980, the 49 southern miles of the canal were replaced by a parallel concrete waterway that resulted in a savings of more than 130,000 acre-feet of water each year.

The remaining 36 miles of earthen waterway were replaced with a parallel, concrete canal in 2006. That project was funded by the state and the San Diego County Water Authority as part of the Quantification Settlement Agreement of 2003 (PDF). The net of 26,000 acre-feet of Colorado River water conserved from eliminated seepage is now redirected to meet urban water demand in San Diego County.

For more up-to-date information regarding CVWD Agriculture Irrigation and Drainage Services, check out our Fact Sheet (English / Spanish).