NID completes vital Combie Phase 1 Canal and Bear River Siphon Project
The crucial pipeline system that transports more than half of the water delivered by the Nevada Irrigation District (NID) has been completed.
The Combie Phase I and Bear River Siphon Project replaces aging infrastructure from below the Combie Reservoir to customers in southern Nevada and western Placer counties.
The complex project had two components: replacement of the 50-year old Combie Canal, a flume along steep terrain above the Bear River, and the Bear River Siphon.
The new canal infrastructure stretches 1.7 miles, and water flows through a 96-inch – 8-foot diameter -- reinforced concrete pipe.
The District also replaced the existing aerial siphon that crossed the Bear River with a new aerial siphon with approximately 825 feet of 54-inches diameter steel pipe and spans the border of Nevada and Placer counties that connects the Combie Ophir Canal in Placer County to the Combie Phase I Canal. The new siphon was placed into service in 2018.
This new infrastructure is NID’s primary water conveyance from Combie Reservoir. It delivers water to 2,650 irrigation water customers, and serves two treatment plants that provide drinking water to 5,077 homes in Lake of the Pines and North Auburn communities. The system also serves as a secondary conduit for deliveries made through the Bear River Canal, including to 525 NID irrigation water customers and to 3,427 treated water customers located within NID boundaries in the City of Lincoln.
The $27 million project is an example of the enormous effort by NID to ensure a reliable water supply for its customers.
“This project has been a huge undertaking to replace a vital section of aging infrastructure that was susceptible to failure and leaking, and risks from the surrounding rock slopes. It demonstrates the District’s commitment to keep our water systems reliable and efficient, and to safeguard public health and the environment,” said Doug Roderick, NID’s interim engineering manager.
Watch drone footage of the NID's Combie Phase I Canal and Bear River Siphon Replacement Project.
Read more about the project here
