General management, planning, design, and construction for expanded development of an irrigation delivery system

Gila River Indian Community Pima-Maricopa Irrigation Project

For more than 44 years, Stantec has helped the Gila River Indian Community with agricultural and water resources development. The Pima-Maricopa Irrigation Project (P-MIP) required multiple engineering disciplines and task order projects including planning, design, and construction for expanded development of the reservation’s irrigation delivery system.

The Community valued the contributions of one of our team members so much they asked him to become their Drainage District general manager. Stantec’s segment of the P-MIP included a pipeline, open channel concrete lined canals, a regulating reservoir, and a large volume capacity level top canal. We also provided master drainage planning and design for the agricultural service area. Duties included financial management of the irrigation delivery facilities, planning preparation, design coordination, plan review, and specifications for rehabilitation of the existing system and expansion. Updating federal agencies was a significant challenge, but a pre-project meeting to identify all design variables, review meetings, and documentation for operation and maintenance helped keep projects on track.

Each project underwent risk review and formal quality assurance and control by independent reviewers. The low pressure, raw water conveyance pipeline now provides service to existing and previously farmed agricultural development.