Metropolis Irrigation Restoration Project - Preliminary Engineering Design
BACKGROUND
The Pacific Reclamation Company initiated a large land development scheme in 1909 at the mouth of Bishop Creek in Elko County. The original development included approximately 40,000 acres of potentially irrigable land, a new earth-filled dam capable of storing 30,000 acre-feet of water and the townsite of Metropolis. A court decision reduced the available irrigation lands to 4,000 acres rather than the planned 40,000 acres. Some farmers turned to dry-farming in an attempt to salvage the project. The depression of the 1930s finally dismantled the town.
Later, the Pacific Reclamation Water Company was organized specially for the management of the remaining irrigation project. The water company maintained a viable irrigation project for approximately 2,000 acres until 1979. Bishop Creek Dam was the key element in the project.
The Bishop Creek Dam was constructed in 1912. The dam served as a viable component of the original irrigation project for 30 years. In May 1943, the State Engineer imposed a water gauge height limitation on the structure of 55 feet. A dam safety inspection was prepared by the Corps of Engineers for the structure in May 1979 as part of the National Program for Inspection of Dams. The dam was classified as intermediate in size (80 feet high) with a "high hazard" classification. The dam was described as an "unsafe structure" as a result of the dam safety inspection in 1979 and it was recommended that the dam not be filled above the level previously recommended by the State Engineer. Because of the lack of storage, the facility eventually ceased to be a viable for the irrigation project. The dam continued to function as a flood control structure, in that it detained the peak runoff during storm events.
The outlet gate became bound and inoperable, partially open, early in 1984 because of limited used and deterioration. With the gate partially open, the runoff events of 1984 ponded water to a depth of about 57 feet. As a result, the dam developed a leak through the embankment. The primary area of the leak was at a height of about 42 feet. The dam eventually drained down without catastrophic failure.
The water delivery system is more than 90 years old. It has exceeded its useful design life. All concrete structures associated with it have experienced excessive weathering. Portions of the canal system never have water in them and, as a result, they have not been maintained. The existing system would not be capable of handling the available water if the dam were functioning and releasing water. It appears that the present system is not capable of delivering the quantity of water for which there are water rights.
The Directors of Pacific Reclamation Water Company unanimously approved the transfer of all of its assets, which includes the ownership of Bishop Creek Dam (aka Metropolis Dam), the canals and ditches and the water rights to the newly formed Metropolis Water Irrigation District. In its present condition, Bishop Creek Dam is nonfunctional, nevertheless it still impounds water during flood flows and is a significant safety issue.
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
The Metropolis Water Irrigation District applied for a grant under the AB 198 program to assist with an irrigation system improvement project preliminary engineering report (PER). The grant was approved by the Board for Financing Water Projects on June 26, 2003, for $434,350 (85% of the total eligible project cost of $511,000).
The scope of the project is to prepare a PER for a new dam and irrigation conveyance system improvements.
PROJECT STATUS
The PER is complete. A new alignment was selected for a road extending to the dam.
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