Water control structure collapses at East Wetlands
North Channel west service road is closed to all vehicle traf c for an estimated 12-18 months
In response to a water control structure collapse, the Yuma East Wetlands North Channel west service road, which is accessed by Sunrise Point Park, is closed to all vehicles for an estimated 12-18 months while the Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area (YCNHA) plans repairs.
“Our water control structures are at the end of their lifespan,” said Jesus Melendrez, YCNHA Wetlands and Facilities Manager. “They usually last 10-to-15 years, and they’ve been in for about 15 years now. They’re eroding from the inside.”
The collapsed structure was a gate on the south side of the North Channel that feeds water from a small lake back to the Colorado River. This gate is responsible for making sure the lake doesn’t overflow and cause damage to the service road and nearby natural animal habitats.
According to Melendrez, the control structures are made out of steel, and the lifespan for any steel product in the Earth is about 15 years, so it’s no surprise the salt and moisture of the surrounding soil caused it to deteriorate.
On April 3, United States Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Camille Calimlim Touton visited Yuma to announce a $5 million grant to help increase the efficiency of river operations at the East Wetlands.
These funds will facilitate updates across the East Wetlands, but Melendrez said the water control structures are a priority, especially after this North Channel gate collapse.
The Bureau of Reclamation assisted YCNHA in the installation of a temporary bypass tube to allow water to escape from the lake, but planning is currently underway to start replacing the eroding steel water structures with something more permanent like concrete.
Some of the structure is still intact, but it will continue to erode, posing a threat for future accidents if a vehicle with enough weight crosses the area.
“The planning process is going to take time,” Melendrez said. “There’s a procurement process for hiring a designer. Once you get the design built, then you have to find a contractor. We have to make sure that we’re doing all the proper steps in the procurement process to meet the requirements set forth by federal funding standards.”
The service road is technically supposed to be only for authorized vehicles, anyway, but Melendrez said some unauthorized vehicles have been known to use it in the past.
“We’ve had some people in there that aren’t supposed to be in there, so in case one of those people decides to drive over there and it collapses, we want to avoid somebody getting hurt,” he said. “We put the press release out just in case somebody’s in there walking and they get bit by a rattlesnake or something happens, so now emergency vehicles automatically know how to get there quickly without having to go in, find out it’s closed and have to backtrack all the way around.”
Pedestrians are still permitted to walk this road, since they aren’t heavy enough to collapse the temporary pipe or any of the other gates.
Per the YCNHA press release: “We kindly ask the public to respect all posted Yuma East Wetlands closure rules and regulations. As a reminder, only authorized vehicles are allowed to access the Yuma East Wetlands for maintenance and wildlife monitoring reasons. Unauthorized motorized vehicles, including ATV’S and motorcycles, are not allowed within the Yuma East Wetlands at any time.”