page_title: Alamo Canal
section_title: Legacy and replacement
hierarchical_section_title: Alamo Canal / Legacy and replacement
context_page_description: The Alamo Canal was a 14 mi long waterway that connected the Colorado River to the head of the Alamo River. The canal was constructed to provide irrigation to the Imperial Valley. A small portion of the canal was located in the United States but the majority of the canal was located in Mexico. The Alamo Canal is also known as the Imperial Canal.
context_section_description: The rate of water loss through aquifer replenishment and evaporation in the Salton Sink was much less than the massive inflow of the Colorado River via the third diversion of the Alamo Canal (the "Lower Mexican Intake").  As a direct result of the decision to create canal intakes from the Colorado River without headgates the Salton Sea was formed.  Ongoing provision of water to the Imperial Valley from the Alamo Canal ensured that the Salton Sea would remain intact through the lifetime of the canal.
  The initial flooding of the Salton Sink destroyed the New Liverpool Salt Company works.  On January 10, 1908, the owners of the works were awarded a judgement against the California Development Company of $458,246.23.  Southern Pacific, which incurred considerable costs repairing the breaches, held a judgment against California Development of $3,772,128.52.  By June, 1915 a total of $5,049,554.78 was owed to creditors, with most of those costs and judgments directly related to the failure of the canal.
  This debt triggered the bankruptcy of California Development, with all assets passed to Southern Pacific.  In 1911 Imperial Valley farmers formed the Imperial Irrigation District.  By 1916 the Imperial Irrigation District had purchased all the ex-California Development assets from Southern Pacific and assumed operation of the canal.
  Construction of the All-American Canal was completed in 1940.  By 1942 the All-American Canal was the sole canal providing Colorado River water to the Imperial Valley.
caption: The replacement All-American Canal traversing the Algodones Dunes.
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