Three local ranchers first formed the Selah Ditch Company in 1888 after several name changes it is now known by the Naches Selah Irrigation District (NSID). Currently the NSID provides 50,643 acre-feet per season for irrigation to the Yakima and Naches, Washington area ranchers in central Washington.
Several lining systems (concrete, asphalt, and others) have been used in the NSID area over the years. In 2006 and 2008, NSID evaluated the risk of a canal failure in 2 reaches which have been prone to seepage in the bottom of the canal. The potential loss of water from these areas, and temporary shutdowns for repairs outweighed the cost of installing a lining system. The NSID decided to line these portions of the canal with geomembrane. They selected Coletanche ES 2 from Axter Coletanche.
 |
 |
Canal Preparation and Installation
The canal in this area had not been cleaned for some time. Weeds and debris were removed and the old rebar mat had to be cut away in the canal invert.
Access to one side of the canal made this installation a little more difficult than usual. The Trackhoe was able to reach across the canal for placing the Coletanche ES 2. A simple lifting bar was made from an I-beam and steel plate.
The high puncture and tear resistance of the Coletanche ES 2 allowed the lining to be pulled off the roll and placed directly in the canal. The 16.75 foot wide roll required a heated torch seam at overlaps.
 |
 |
Standard 1½-inch batten strips were used to attach the geomembrane to the concrete at the beginning and under the bridge. A v-notch anchor trench was used on both sides of the canal. Seaming the Coletanche ES 2 was accomplished using a standard roofing torch to melt 8 inch overlaps together.
It took approximately two days using a six man crew with two heavy equipment operators to install the Coletanche ES 2 and another three days for seaming and the finishing work.
PROJECT DETAILS
Project Owners: Naches Selah Irrigation District
Project Consultant: EDC Canal Linings, LLC
Geomembrane: Axter Colentanche ES 2
Construction Manager: Mr. Justin Harter (NSID)
Heavy Equipment Operators: Temple Construction
Installer: Naches Selah Irrigation District Employees
RELATED LINK
Axter Coletanche profile on Geosynthetica
Jack Haynes has 35 years of experience working for the US Bureau of Reclamation and co-conducted for BuRec the 10-year study on canal lining systems (published 2002). He can be reached through his 2006-founded company, EDC Canal Lining Systems: www.edccanallinings.com.
