Update on IFCD 3 Projects
Managing 5.5 miles of waterways and the equipment that goes along with those waterways requires ongoing inspection and maintenance to ensure our flood control system is equipped to properly manage flooding. While repairs can happen quickly on an as-needed basis, the District typically uses the dryer summer months to conduct larger projects that increase the durability and functionality of our system for years to come.
The District is currently making progress on multiple projects throughout the community, each of which is summarized below:
Discharge Pipe Project – As expected after four decades of use, our team identified deterioration of the pump station’s discharge pipes during a routine inspection. With 80% of the pipes located underground within the levee, our third-party engineering firm is currently taking advantage of the cooler temperatures in the evenings to go underground and apply new coating to the pipes. The project is expected to be complete before the end of this fiscal year.
Sluice Gates Project – Since constructing our facilities 40 years ago, we’ve utilized sluice gates, in tandem with our six pumps, to control how much water can flow through our canals before, during and after storms. Built to last decades, our existing sluice gates were constructed with extremely heavy, durable metals. While the gates successfully control water levels and limit our need to activate the pumps, they also require a significant amount of electrical power to open and close.
The District is currently waiting for water levels to lower enough for our third-party engineering firm to collect the measurements needed for new, lighter gates that won’t use as much energy to operate. Once measurements have been made, the manufacturer can begin production.
Tilting Weir Project – An engineering study indicated that a tilting weir would provide an efficient, alternative means of removing water from the IFCD 3 system, filling a need that exists between the use of the existing sluice gates that apply gravity to transfer water into the Elm Fork and our high-power pumps that can quickly transfer larger quantities of water. Beyond saving energy, another benefit of having the tilting weir is the ability to reduce wear and tear on our newly renovated pumps, extending their overall life.
While this project has been in the queue for a few years as we prioritized refurbishing the pumps within the pump station, we’ve officially awarded the project to a third-party engineering firm. Construction of the tilting weir will begin later this calendar year.
Learn more about the tilting weir in our previous waterways blog post.
VRA Projects – In addition to the projects IFCD 3 is working on, Valley Ranch Association is working to complete multiple projects throughout the community. These include repairs to the sidewalks along Sundance Northwest, Canoe Canal Northwest and more. The District appreciates VRA’s focus on ensuring sidewalks and vegetation along the canals are maintained to ensure a safe environment for residents.
For additional updates on IFCD 3 and Valley Ranch projects, we encourage you to attend an upcoming IFCD 3 board meeting. These meetings are always open to the public and we openly discuss the latest projects and their status. You can also review the meeting minutes from past meetings at ifcd3.org/meeting-minutes.