Granite Construction Co. has been awarded a $22 million contract by the Gila River Indian Community to construct the final phase of the new 8.5-mile Santan Canal located approximately 40 miles southeast of Phoenix.

The Santan Canal is part of the Gila River Indian Community's master plan to deliver 173,000 acre feet of water to farmlands within the Community. Through the Pima-Maricopa Irrigation Project, the Community's ultimate proposal is to design and construct a water delivery system that will potentially include 2,400 miles of canal and pipeline.

The scope of the project includes earthwork to construct the canal prism, concrete lining and the construction of 35 reinforced-concrete structures. In addition, Granite will construct a reservoir and excavate approximately 344,000 cubic yards of borrow needed to complete the work. The reservoir will be open for community use once the project is completed.

Construction will begin this month with an estimated completion date December 2010.