All-American Canal (Calexico, California)

 water  Add category

 Upload a photo

The mission to bring water to the Imperial Valley began in the 1850s by bringing water from the Colorado River. However, it was not until 1901 that the California Development Company designed a plan to bring water under the construction of the Alamo Canal. This canal delivered water by gravity flow from the river to the Imperial Valley. Since the main canal levees were in Mexico, it gave Imperial Valley little security in its water supply. As a result, IID realized that it needed a “All American Canal” to be located north of the international border. In 1917, Phil Swing, chief consul of IID, successfully negotiated an agreement between the United States Bureau of Reclamation and the IID to investigate the need for an All-American canal in the Imperial Valley. The efforts of the pioneers of Imperial Valley paid off when in 1928, the Boulder Canyon Project Act was passed allowing the construction of the All-American Canal, Imperial Dam, and the Hoover Dam. The project started in the 1930s and by the 1940s, the Imperial Valley Farmland first received water making the canal the heart of life in the Imperial Valley.

The All-American Canal represents life and wealth to the Imperial Valley. In 2011, the Imperial County Farmers produced about 1,736,000 of hay including alfalfa, Bermuda grass, Sudan grass and Klein grass hays, making the region a vital producer of food for the state’s vast dairy industry. Imperial Valley is also one of the top 5 producers of potatoes, cauliflower, sweet corn, broccoli and onions In California. The economic impact that has been created has been over the scale due to the accomplishments that this canal has made. Imperial Valley agriculture production in 2011 generated $1,175,000,000 in personal income for California families and an estimated $5.3 billion in total economic impact. The All-American Canal is very important for the Imperial County. The All-American Canal is the blood of the Imperial Valley its represents the main artery of life and wealth of the Imperial Valley.

The All-American Canal also represents a big danger to Imperial Valley residents and immigrants who try to cross the border. The All-American canal is very dangerous due to the strong current that can reach up to five miles per hour. Also, the canals water has very low temperatures that affects your body as you try to swim. An addition can be that the All-American canal is 7 to 12 feet deep in certain places that can easily cause you to drown. Imperial Irrigation District has fought to address awareness of the dangers of this canal presenting in school’s programs such as “It’s cool to swim in a pool.” They also placed signs around the canal in English and Spanish to alert the people about the dangers of the canal. In addition, the IID has placed lines of floats in areas of the All- American Canal to prevent future drowning accidents. Since the canal is not cemented, it makes it nearly impossible to escape from the muddy edges. This initiative to save lives has been successful in saving citizens and immigrants ever since the integration of awareness of the All-American Canal.