Case Study: California Bureau of Land Management achieves faster, more accurate 188‑km Delta‑Mendota Canal survey with Trimble CSVSN

California Bureau of Land Management - Customer Case Study

The California Bureau of Land Management survey team, led by licensed surveyor Tim Jackson, was tasked with completely resurveying the 188‑km Delta‑Mendota Canal to update right‑of‑way and boundary grids, set aerial targets, and extend a control network for this critical Central Valley water infrastructure. The project required accurate, consistent horizontal and vertical control across a long, open corridor—work that historically demanded many control points, multiple crews, and repeated base‑station moves.

Using GNSS equipment linked to the California Surveying Virtual Surveying Network (CSVSN), a cellular Trimble VRS network that covers the entire canal, the team simplified survey control by working in a single, geo‑referenced coordinate system. The VRS approach cut control points and crew needs dramatically (from 40 points and six crews on a previous, longer canal project to just four points and one–two crews here), verified subsidence up to about 0.6 m, and delivered faster, more accurate data—saving time and easily offsetting the network subscription cost.

California Bureau of Land Management

Tim Jackson

Surveyor