Portion of SRP canal in Scottsdale to be drained for annual maintenance and construction
Jan 7, 2022, 8:00 PM | Updated: 8:20 pm
PHOENIX — Some SRP customers and Scottsdale-area commuters should plan ahead for minor disruptions beginning this weekend as the utility company is draining a portion of the canal for annual maintenance and construction.
The closure begins Saturday and is scheduled to be finished Feb. 7, affecting traffic from Mesa Drive to Recker Road between Camelback and Chaparral roads, according to a press release.
Some northside irrigation customers won’t be supplied water during the dry-up, the release said.
During the drainage, crews will be relocating the fish used to control aquatic vegetation, the white amur, to another portion of the canal.
They will then inspect canals, remove silt and replace concrete lining and repair gates along a 7-to-8-mile stretch of the canal.
Finally, items found in the canal will be pulled and discarded, while crews also look for evidence of invasive adult quagga mussels.
SRP drains portions of the canal system on a rotating 10-year schedule every fall and winter.
As part of the closure, portions of the canal will be closed to traffic, including bikers and pedestrians.