Central Main Canal

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Orig location of the Central Main Canal, main water supply source for the area between the Alamo and New rivers.

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Imperial Valley Canals historical context is that imported water we depend on was dug by the California Land Company In 1900 from the Colorado river that brought the Imperial Valley to life and created field worker jobs that have employed many legal or illegal immigrants. In the past these field workers picked the crops that were grown through our irrigation in bad conditions and were underpaid, although over the years gained more rights and better work conditions through strikes and boycotts. Lastly, due to the dangers caused by our canals, measures were taken to lower the death rates through a public pool, some fences put up to block people from jumping into canals, and bringing awareness to children of the dangers through the IID mascot Dippy Duck.

The water we receive originates from the All American Canal that delivers water from the Imperial Dam and flows through the Algodones Dunes to eventually reach the Imperial Valley. Along the Valley’s water route Hydroelectric Plants are located that take advantage of elevated drops to conduct electricity that keeps our lights on. The water splits off into three main canals in the Imperial Valley to distribute our water: the East Highline, Central Main, and Westside Canals.The water then runs into smaller Canals and Laterals and delivers water to fields which continue to be tapped into even smaller Canals in order to deliver water through delivery gates to our fields.

The problematic nature of our canals lies on the dangers Canals have posed to the residents of the Imperial Valley, them being out in the open along roadways. there have been many casualties from drowning caused by swimming, jumping in after things, or accidentally falling in. Drowning dangers are at their highest in the summers. Next the cause of the Salton Sea’s pollution is due to it being used as a drainage lake for our canals where the dissolved salts and pesticides are washed away to from the fields.However, despite its problems, the Imperial Valley’s Canals run 24/7 and are considered to be our lifeline. We are dependent on them supplying us with running water in a desert region as well as producing electricity. With our year round water supply canals running near our fields the Imperial Valley is always in production and makes the Imperial Valley one of the most productive in Agricultural production in California, able to grow things such as field vegetables, melons, fruits, nuts, field crops through the winter or Spring while in the Summer we grow Hay and Alfalfa for export and feeding livestock. Lastly, it is valuable to the Valley because it sustains us economically through the crops we grow and creating jobs as field workers.