The Contra Costa Loop Canal annual cleaning is performed during the winter months when water usage is low to minimize impacts to our customers. Our crews safely manage the cleaning using equipment to push the accumulated sediment from the sides and bottom of the canal. Then the sediment is removed with a crane for final disposal. This cleaning helps keep the Contra Costa Loop Canal operating as intended. View a map and more information about the Contra Costa Loop Canal cleaning.
While the Contra Costa Loop Canal is out of service, we use the Shortcut Pipeline to transport water from the Contra Costa Canal in Clyde to the Martinez Reservoir. As its name suggest, the Shortcut Pipeline is much shorter than the Contra Costa Loop Canal, clocking in at 5 miles long, acting as more of a shortcut directly to Martinez from Clyde, compared to the 21-mile loop the Contra Costa Loop Canal makes. The Shortcut Pipeline is an excellent example of efficient redundancies built into your water system to ensure a reliable means of conveying water to customers. View a map of our service area to see the locations of the Contra Costa Loop Canal and Shortcut Pipeline.