Following the tragic death of 7-year-old Annie Lee Palmer in the Coachella Canal on July 28, the Coachella Valley Water District will add 1,200 feet of metal fencing around the canal.

More than 38 miles of fencing already surround the 122-mile canal. People still bypass even if construction is underway, cut the fence and disregard the signs warning people to stay away. The CVWD will fence the area near where Annie drowned.

The canal was built in the 1930s and since then 140 people have drowned. The canal has steep and slippery sides, and a fast-moving current. Recovering Annie’s body took six hours for the Riverside County Dive Team.