Truckee-Carson Irrigation District (Nevada)
Project Date: 2016–2018 (Initial Major Phase)
Federal Infrastructure Stabilization & Seepage Recovery
Structural encapsulation and joint sealing of the Truckee Canal and auxiliary spillway structures to halt concrete decay and eliminate water loss.
Project Scope
Federal Reclamation Canal Restoration
Primary Issue
Severe Concrete Spalling & Seepage
System Used
High-Flex AquaLastic® Barrier
Environmental Factor
Extreme High-Desert Freeze-Thaw Cycles
Result
100% Watertight Seal & Asset Life Extension
We view AquaLastic® as an excellent product with which to encapsulate degraded sections of concrete -including canal linings, thus arresting the advance of facility deterioration.
Rusty D. Jardine, Esq. District Manager
We view AquaLastic® as an excellent product with which to encapsulate degraded sections of concrete -including canal linings, thus arresting the advance of facility deterioration.
Rusty D. Jardine, Esq. District Manager
The Challenge
Protecting a Century of Federal Infrastructure
The Truckee Canal is a vital artery of the Newlands Federal Reclamation Project, originally constructed over 100 years ago. Aging concrete sections had become deeply degraded, with extensive cracking and joint failure threatening the structural integrity of the canal. Without intervention, the district faced escalating seepage loss and the risk of facility deterioration that could compromise water delivery to thousands of agricultural and municipal users.
The Solution
Halting Decay with a Monolithic Seal
District management required a solution that could encapsulate the degraded concrete without the massive costs and downtime of a total rebuild. AquaLastic® was applied broadly across the most vulnerable sections of the Truckee Canal and the Derby Spillway. The application created a seamless, protective shield that filled cracks and sealed joints, effectively stopping the advance of deterioration and reclaiming lost water volume for the district.
Key Technical Steps
Substrate Structural Detailing
Engineers identified critical failure points where water was migrating behind the lining. These areas were prepped and detailed to ensure the final protective barrier would integrate perfectly with the existing century-old concrete.
Flexible Joint Encapsulation
The system was applied to the canal’s expansion joints, creating a flexible bridge that accommodates the intense thermal shifts common in the Nevada high desert. This prevents the delamination typically seen with rigid cementitious repairs.
Immediate Hydraulic Validation
Once the thermal-fused application was complete, the canal was ready for immediate service. The district recorded a total elimination of seepage in treated areas, successfully stabilizing the infrastructure for decades of future use.
District Manager
Rusty D. Jardine, Esq.
“Like other irrigation districts throughout the Western United States, the Truckee-Carson Irrigation District (Nevada) has benefited greatly from the application of AquaLastic®, a polyurea elastomeric coating, to structures in the Newlands Federal Reclamation Project.
We view AquaLastic® as an excellent product with which to encapsulate degraded sections of concrete -including canal linings, thus arresting the advance of facility deterioration. AquaLastic® has been applied broadly to sections of lining in the Truckee Canal; and, after many years in use, the product continues to perform without fail its role which includes the elimination of seepage from the Canal.”
Before
After
