Franklin Canal (Texas)

Franklin Canal
Franklin Canal
Franklin Canal is located in Texas
Franklin Canal
Franklin Canal
Franklin Canal is located in the United States
Franklin Canal
Franklin Canal
Nearest cityEl Paso, Texas
Coordinates31°40′21″N 106°22′35″W / 31.67250°N 106.37639°W / 31.67250; -106.37639
Area184 acres (74 ha)
Built1889 (1889)
Built byEl Paso Irrigation Company
NRHP reference No.92000696[1]
Added to NRHPJune 19, 1992
Map
The Franklin Canal is in the southern part of the Upper Colorado Region

The Franklin Canal is an irrigation canal in the Upper Rio Grande Valley near El Paso, Texas. The canal acquires water from the Rio Grande via the American Canal. The canal is 28.4 miles (45.7 km) long with a capacity of 325 cubic feet per second (9.2 m3/s).

The Franklin Irrigation Company completed the canal in 1891 at a cost of $150,000. In 1912, the U.S. Reclamation Service purchased the canal, and it became a key part of the Rio Grande Project.[2]

The canal was renovated and enlarged between 1912 and 1916. The work included repairing the diversion dam, enlarging the heading of the canal, and lining a portion of the channel with concrete. When completed, the canal was capable of irrigating 40,000 acres (16,000 ha).[2]

  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. ^ a b Rae, Steve; Baker, T. Lindsay (January 10, 1972). "Franklin Canal" (PDF). Historic American Engineering Record. Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress. Retrieved April 22, 2021.