American Canal Improvements, El Paso, Texas
Project Overview
The American Canal has moved irrigation water from the Rio Grande to farmland across southern Texas for over a century. When IBWC identified the aging lining as a seepage risk and surrounding soils as contaminated from a nearby decommissioned smelter, they needed a contractor who could work in a regulated waterway, manage impacted materials, and hold a hard seasonal schedule. Meridian self-performed the majority of scope across two construction seasons, replacing 2,350 linear feet of canal lining and remediating 17,000 cubic yards of contaminated soil. This was the second of four projects Meridian has completed for IBWC.
-
$21.03M
final contract value
-
2,350
LF of canal lining replaced
-
17,000
CY of contaminated soil remediated
-
5,500
CY of concrete placed
-
750,000
LBS of epoxy-coated rebar installed
The Problem / Challenge
Below-grade work was limited to two five-month windows outside irrigation season, requiring 24/7 dewatering with 10 to 12 pumps across 200 to 250 linear feet. During the second season, groundwater testing revealed heavy metal contamination above regulatory limits. Meridian sourced and managed a mobile treatment facility processing 2,000 gallons per minute to meet discharge requirements before returning water to the Rio Grande. That single change order drove the contract from $14.97 million to $21.03 million at completion.
Meridian's Approach
Meridian self-performed dewatering, earthwork, concrete lining, bridge construction, structural steel fabrication, fencing, underground storm drains, SWPPP, and quality control management. The pedestrian bridge was fabricated in-house at Meridian's Tucson shop. At peak construction, 60 to 70 Meridian employees were on site. During irrigation season, the team scaled down and shifted to ancillary above-grade work to protect the critical path for the next window. A consistent field leadership trio stayed on the project from start to finish, carrying institutional knowledge through each seasonal restart and the workforce turnover that came with it.
Outcome
The project was completed on time. The new lining eliminated seepage losses across a century-old system, increased downstream water delivery, and replaced walls that had thinned to four to six inches with sections up to 18 inches wide and a two-foot-thick invert. IBWC provided positive performance feedback on the construction work. Meridian has since completed two additional projects with the agency. This project represented the most diverse self-performed scope Meridian had executed on a single federal contract, work that most contractors would have divided across multiple specialty subcontractors.
The Right Contractor Makes All the Difference
Meridian brings self-performing crews, in-house materials, and a track record of repeat work to every project.