NID approves $489K liner replacement for Bowman Spaulding Canal

A cost-effective approach to replace a section of a canal liner received unanimous support March 27, paving the way for the project this summer – and keeping a long-term plan on track.The Nevada Irrigation District (NID) Board of Directors approved a $489,819 contract to replace a 475-foot long section of the Bowman Spaulding Canal, a critical connection that carries water from Bowman Reservoir.The project, about 20 miles east of Nevada City, is the latest in a "sequence of multiple replacements" planned for the Bowman Spaulding Canal, NID engineer manager Gary King said during the Board of Directors meeting."It's out in the middle of nowhere" but a "major artery" with a maximum capacity of 325 cubic-feet per second, he said.The deteriorated canal liner will be replaced with a new 16-foot wide floor and 8-foot high sloped walls, and connect to a previous section of the waterway replaced in summer 2018. NID plans to replace about 400 to 500 feet of the canal every year. "We're fixing the worst areas first," King said.King said the canal liner replacement should last at least 150 years, thanks to improvements in design and materials that greatly increase the structural integrity. The replacement is about three times more than the original canal liner."We've been using this design for a few years now," King said.NID has allocated funding in the annual budget to replace sections of the canal every summer. The cost and labor-intensive effort — crews have only about a 10-day period when the canal is without water — are challenges, King said.Contractor Hansen Brothers Enterprises is scheduled to begin the canal liner replacement project June 3 and complete the work June 13.The Grass Valley-based company was the lowest bidder for the replacement project, about $210,000 less than the second-lowest bid. The company has "figured out how to do it in an efficient manner," King said.Last year, Hansen Brothers replaced 400 feet of canal liner upstream of the just-approved project for $450,457 — or about $1,126 per foot. That project cost about $100 more per foot because of a necessary sitting well and bridge installation, which are not needed this summer, King said.