The weed-eating fish are used to control the aquatic vegetation.
PHOENIX — Over the weekend SRP crews worked to carefully move hundreds of white amur fish out of the canal system, to make way for heavy equipment and repairs.
The weed-eating fish are used to control the aquatic vegetation.
The canal system currently delivers water for about 2.5 million Phoenix metro area residents.
Sunday, crews worked to herd the fish in order to move them to another section upstream in the east Valley, while targeted the areas are emptied.
Suited up with special equipment, SRP crews corraled and moved the fish in SRP’s 131-mile valley canal system.
“Then we can drain the canal and pull out all the silt,” said Brian Moorhead, an environmental scientist.
The fish are then loaded onto hauling tanks that deliver them to other portions of the canal, while crews do maintenance on the canal line. The labor-intensive work is all happening along a several-mile stretch in Mesa and Gilbert.
“Very labor intensive for pulling out the fish,” said Moorhead. “They’re very good at getting by us, but we do want to get as many of them as we can.”
Throughout the years, they have found a lot of trash in the water, but from time to time, they’ll discover something out of the ordinary.
“Years ago we found a Corvette that somebody had donated to the canal,” he said. “I think that one was stolen.”
Regardless of what they end up finding underneath the water, moving the fish alone is a big job.
“We’ll catch them here and take them back upstream, where they can continue eating the aquatic vegetation,” said Moorhead.
After all, SRP is responsible for keeping its canal system in operating condition during normal water deliveries.
Each fall and winter, crews perform dry-ups on a rotating 10-year schedule on different portions of the canal system.
“These guys are very dedicated,” said Patty Garcia-Likens, SRP spokesperson. “They get here very early in the morning… they work throughout the day and it’s a month-long process.”
The work will continue until Dec. 20.
“It’s so important, because we deliver water to our customers every day,” she said. “As everyone knows we’re in a drought… so every drop counts.”
Garcia-Likens said their goal is to make sure that when we’re delivering this water to customers, that it’s done in the most efficient way. Meanwhile, they’re sending out safety reminders to the community.
“If you see our guys in these vests, and they’re walking up and down the canal, please stay away,” she said.
There are potential dangers.
“We’ve got heavy machinery out here,” said Garcia-Likens. “We have our crews doing their job, so I encourage people to not bike or walk on the canals that are undergoing this maintenance.”
And dumping your trash in the canals is a big no.
“This is your drinking water,” she said. “It’s important that the cities are able to take that water off these canals, treat it, and get it to your home.”
Once this project wraps up, SRP will prepare to start the next cleanup in another area of the canal system in January.
Up to Speed
Catch up on the latest news and stories on the 12 News YouTube channel. Subscribe today.
Watch 12News+ for free
You can now watch 12News content anytime, anywhere thanks to the 12News+ app!
The free 12News+ app from 12News lets users stream live events — including daily newscasts like "Today in AZ" and "12 News" and our daily lifestyle program, "Arizona Midday"—on Roku and Amazon Fire TV.
12News+ showcases live video throughout the day for breaking news, local news, weather and even an occasional moment of Zen showcasing breathtaking sights from across Arizona.
Users can also watch on-demand videos of top stories, local politics, I-Team investigations, Arizona-specific features and vintage videos from the 12News archives.
Roku: Add the channel from the Roku store or by searching for "12 News KPNX."
Amazon Fire TV: Search for "12 News KPNX" to find the free 12News+ app to add to your account, or have the 12News+ app delivered directly to your Amazon Fire TV through Amazon.com or the Amazon app.
"fish" - Google News
November 27, 2023 at 12:29PM
https://ift.tt/EmaCVxl
Hundreds fish moved for canal cleaning - 12news.com KPNX
"fish" - Google News
https://ift.tt/AKSdyqn
https://ift.tt/DIqM0QJ
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Hundreds fish moved for canal cleaning - 12news.com KPNX"
Post a Comment