Today, the Bureau of Reclamation selected five winners of the Water for America's Crops Challenge for their ideas to improve water delivery by reducing water seeping from canals. Each winner will receive $50,000 and continue in phase two of the competition to develop their idea into a laboratory-scale prototype.
"Reclamation's 8,000 miles of canals deliver water across the Western United States," said chief engineer David Raff. "It is important that we reduce seepage in canals to not only conserve as much water as possible but also to ensure the integrity and extend the operational life of these canals."
The proposals submitted by the winners describing their solution included expected performance, effectiveness, durability, maintenance requirements, installation requirements and cost. The five winners are:
- Nylon reinforced geopolymer composite mix membrane by Zlatko Rozic, Australia
- Integral Waterproofing of Concrete by Jan Beetge, United States
- Low Cost Long Life Elastomeric Canal Liner by John Newport and Peter Murdoch of Team Chemventive, United States
- StickyCrete Canal Liners by Michael McBride, Mexico
- Bendable Concrete for Seepage Resistant Canals by Duo Zhang, United States
The phase two winner of this prize challenge will receive $90,000. Reclamation is partnering with Bonneville Power Administration, NASA Tournament Labs and HeroX on this prize competition. The Water America’s Crops Challenge is seeking cost-effective methods to minimize water seeping from canals. More information on the competition is available on its website.
Reclamation has awarded more than $4.5 million in prizes through 30 competitions in the past six years.
SOURCE: Bureau of Reclamation
