Story line for the identification, and response to a canal breach on teh Government highline canal, on July 11,2011.

1. July 11, 2011
This is a self paced presentation.
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2. Key Map

3. Time Line
 4:00pm 911 notifies Ute Water about water on the road at 25 Rd & I Rd
 4:50pm 911 notifies GVWU of Breach
 5:00pm GVWU divert water to Persigo & Indian Washes
 7:00pm GVWU attempt to Shore-up Breach
 7:30pm GVDD Called by GVIC
 7:45pm Water is flowing over 25 & I Road 3” deep
 8:00pm Canal is at full breach
 8:30pm GVWU departs to shut canal down
 8:45 pm TV crews at 25 & I Road
 9:00pm Canal water level reduced
 9:15pm GVDD and GVIC feel Situation is stable
 9:30pm GVWU prepares Tunnel 3 for closure
 9:30pm Storm Hits desert North of I Road and East of 27 Road
 10:00m GVWU begins Tunnel 3 closure
 10:30pm City Streets notified of water at 26 ½ Rd & Catalina Dr

4. Time Line
 10:30pm 911 notifies GVIC there are high waters
 10:30pm Water is flowing over 25 & I Road 12” deep
 11:00pm GVWUA finalizes Tunnel 3 closure
 12:30am Street crews finish clean up at Catalina Dr
 1:00am City crews realize Canal has continued to breach
 2:00am 911 notifies Road & Bridge and City Streets of excessive water
 2:45am Threat to City Market fuel tanks assessed
 3:00am Water flows begin to dissipate
 6:ooam GVDD & GVIC employees notice extent of flooding on way to work
 7:00am All agencies mobilize employees and equipment
 9:00am City/521/GVDD find situation on Leach Creek & Gov Highline Canal
 Tuesday GVWU learn of the Perfect Storm
 Thursday Finish breach repair
 Friday Water returned to the Canal

5. 4:00pm
Ute Water gets a call Daryl Moore
from 911 finds canal
beginning to
breach
Water on the Road!

6. Canal Breach Government Highline
Canal at its beginning
stages

7. Breach caused by failed
culvert under the canal

9. Shortly before
Houston, We have a
5pm problem
911 notifies GVWU of a
possible breach and
instructs them to call Ute
Water for details

10. Between 5pm & 6pm GVWU diverts water
 deploy employees & equipment
 100+cfs diverted to Persigo Wash
 80-100cfs diverted to Indian Wash
 Adjust check structures East of breach
The Government Highline Canal was flowing 574cfs at Indian Wash Monday morning
Normal flow at Indian Wash is 650cfs

11. 7:00pm
 GVWU Attempts to shore-up breach with
 Dirt
 Concrete
 Rip Rap

12. 7:30 PM
 GVDD gets a call for GVIC about a breach in the
Government Highline east of 25 Road.
 GVDD responds by putting personnel on notice that
equipment may be needed to help with debris
removal.
 GVDD Checks North Cochran Wash from 24 ½ and H
Road to and including Leach Creek to South of the
Riverside Parkway
 All Crossings are taking the increased flow, situation
appears stable

13. 7:45pm
 Water overtopping 25 & I road 3” deep
8:00pm
Government Highline Canal at full breach
Stable and controlled with water management

14. 8:30pm
 GVWU adjusts check structure West of breach
 GVWU departs to shut canal down

15. 8:45pm
 TV crews are at 25 & I Road

16. 9:00pm
• Canal water level
reduced and Breach is full
but situation is stable!
• City Parks at Canyon
View aware of situation
• GVDD checks GVIC
crossings with GVIC and,
again, all crossings on
North Cochran Wash are
handling the increased
flow

17. 9:15pm All is Well
• GVWU communicates to GVDD & GVIC the breach situation
is controlled and GVDD & GVIC after checking
downstream crossings agree to the stability of the
conditions
• GVDD has employees “stand down” all is stable and
assistance with repairs can begin in the morning
• Employees drive through a heavy rain on the way home

18. GVWU prepares
9:30pm Tunnel 3 for closure
 Sluice the Dam of debris
 Lower the pond above the dam

19. A heavy rainstorm pounds the
9:30pm desert along Leach Creek North
of I Road and East of 27 Road

20. Leach Creek under the Government Highline
Leach Creek Canal is partially plugged and runs down the
ROW and spills into the already crippled Canal
two miles upstream from the breach
I Road
Overview Road

21. Looking North at Leach Leach Creek
Creek from Government
Highline Canal

22. Leach Creek spills into the
Government Highline Canal leaving
Debris
large amounts of debris behind
Debris
3x60” CMP

23. Debris left behind by
overflowing Leach
Creek on the North side
of the Canal

24. Leach Creek
Government Highline Canal
North bank is washed into
canal
Leach Creek
Damaged North
bank of Canal

25. Leach Creek Spills into the
Government Highline and flows
down stream to the “stable breach”
Spill

26. South side after
Leach Creek storm
Canal
Leach Creek

28. GVDD
Cleaning

29. 60” Culverts

30. 10:00pm
 GVWU Initializes Tunnel 3 Closure

31. 10:30pm
City Crews called to
26 ½ Rd & Catalina Dr
Catalina Drive

32. 10:30pm 911 notifies GVIC there are high waters.
GVIC doesn’t realize this is a new issue,
and still maintains the situation is
under control
The water is now 12”
deep over 25 & I Road

33. 11:00pm
 GVWUA finalizes tunnel 3 closure

34. 12:30am City crews finish removing
mud and debris at
26 ½ Rd & Catalina Dr

35. Property owner just
finished major
landscaping on this corner
Catalina Drive

36. 1:00am
Street Crews realize Canal
has additional waters
entering the breach

37. 1:30am
GVWU employees returning from dam are amazed at
amount of water flowing across 24 road and the deeper
water over 25 & I road.
Canal road to breach was impassable due to the wet,
slick, and muddy conditions in the dark

38. 2:00am
911 notifies Road &
Bridge and City Streets
of excessive water
Alert!!!
25 Road & I Road
•3’ deep pavement undercut
833 24 ½ Road
•50’ exposed gas line
•10’x150’x8’ washout
•2.5 days to repair
2438 H Road
•Exposed telephone line
•1.5 days to repair

39. 24 ½ Road
•50’ exposed gas line
•10’x150’x8’ washout
•2.5 days to repair

40. Flooding along 24 Road
2:00am
 Water overtopping G Road
 The West portion of the Canyon View Park parking lot was flooded
 Water overtopping F ½ Road
 Water crossing 24 Road into 24Road Video Store parking from
there into the parking lots of
 The Black Bear Diner
 Starbucks
 Holiday Inn Express
 C&F (Loco) Food Store
 Water overtopping Patterson on the East side then into Sutherlands
 Water was to the top of the concrete fuel pump islands at City Market

41. Water was to the top of
2:45am the concrete fuel pump
islands
Threat to City Market
fuel tanks assessed

42. 3:00am Water flows begin
to dissipate
 Water ceases to overtop
 G Road
 F ½ Road
 Patterson Road
 50% of 24 Rd between Patterson Rd & G Rd under water
 Street crews begin cleaning mud & debris from arterial
streets
6:30am GVDD & GVIC made aware of the
extent of flooding from employees
on their way to work

43. All agencies Deploy
7:ooam
 All agencies deploy employees and equipment for
cleanup and repair except city streets whom continued
through the night with their efforts.
County Road & Bridge
Ute Water
GVIC
GVWU
GVDD
521 Drainage Authority

44. 9:00am GVWU note
the breach is 3
times the size
City/521/GVDD find
situation on Leach Creek
and Government Highline
Canal

45. Tuesday GVWU learns of
“Perfect Storm”
 GVWU learns that the heavy rainfall occurring
Monday evening caused damage to the North bank of
the canal as the rain runoff sheet flowed off the desert
and into the canal at the area designated “Spill” (for the
purpose of this presentation)

46. Thursday July 14
Finished breach
repair

47. Friday July 15
Water back in canal
North bank of canal at Leach Creek is repaired & rip rapped
Breach repair is complete and stable
Arterial streets cleaned of debris
Canal check structures reset
Water users had water by Saturday 16
Continued cleaning South of Spill on Leach Creek until
dispute with property owner
GVIC removed debris from Appleton Flume

48. Before Cleaning

49. each Creek
fter Cleaning & Repair GVDD
Cleaning
Canal
60” CMP
North side after
cleaning & repair

50. Leach Creek South of Canal
Before Cleaning
Leach Creek

51. Canal
Leach Creek
Leach Creek
60” CMP
South side after
cleaning & repair

52. Before Cleaning

53. Begin Cleaning

54. After Cleaning

55. After Cleaning

56. 27 1/4 Road
North of Canal

57. Canal

58. Spill
Grand Vista Sub
Summer Hill Sub

59. Maintenance
issues
Grand Vista Sub

60. Grand Vista Sub
Debris caught on flume

61. GVIC Highline Flume
Possible
Hazard
Appleton Flume
24¼ Road Crossing

62. GVIC Highline Flume

63. Appleton Flume
H Road
24 ¼ Road
Piles of wood
Appleton Flume
24¼ Road Crossing
GVIC access road

64. Appleton
Flume Piles of wood

65. Appleton Flume

66. 24 ¼ Road crossing
North Cochran Wash

68. 24 Road
City Market
F ½ Road

69. 833 24 ½ Road

70. Summary for GVDD
 Better notification
 Balance of resources
 Mapping consistency
 Identification of Increased Hazard Areas
 On going debris cleaning and flow line maintenance
 Natural stream maintenance & encroachment enforcement
 Detention in upper basins
 EIS on Walker Field runway