Can Flood Irrigation Coexist with Urban Development?
Garden Week Nineteen 8/14/2018
Can Flood Irrigation Coexist with Urban Development?
A common ditch gate which is easy to use and reliable.
What is Flood Irrigation? Possibly the oldest form of irrigation wherein water is delivered by ditch or pipe through the means of gravity and water pressure to fill a parcel of land several inches deep with water. While this is not the most efficient form of irrigation, it is still often used today for both agricultural uses as well as in urban areas for lawns and gardens.
Back in the day, for many, this was the only way to get water to the crops. To facilitate access to water, companies were formed, and a person purchased a share or shares of the company, making them a shareholder and giving the shareholder “Water Rights”. These companies and shareholders worked together to build vast networks of the canals and ditches we live with today. As the old saying goes “never give up your water rights”, which we know can affect a property’s value. But how does the changing dynamics of Urban development impact the long-held tradition of flood irrigation?
I have thought about this question many times over the past year and half, when I moved into a house which has water rights. The water arrives via a ditch on the backside of the property once a week for a set number of hours. Unfortunately, the first year was not so smooth. We received the water at 9am, 12pm, 6pm, 2 am, or not at all. This simple method seemed unreliable and inadequate. We wondered if we could justify continuing to participate let alone paying for water shares every year.
Over the winter I became curious, why was this apparently simple method so complicated? To get some hands-on experience and hopefully get some answers I, possibly foolishly, took on the position of ditch rider for our local neighborhood ditch company. Which turned into a time-consuming challenge. A challenge I whole-heartedly took on. It was my goal to make sure everyone had an opportunity to receive water. I have not been able to guarantee how much water everyone gets, but at the very least it has been my intention to get everyone the time to try to get their water.
Sometimes the water pressure is so low a person only gets a trickle. Other times the same person may be flooded in half their allotted time. Why is this so unpredictable? Largely this is due to the condition of the gates and the ditch itself. At times, it is due to the pressure at the head gate. Other times, there is no apparent reason for the water flow to be more or less.
Keeping ditches clean will prevent property damage or water in the street. Nice job!
Speaking from a more urban experience, and prior to moving into this house, I had a sprinkler system. In the spring it had to be primed and turned on after the last freeze. The sprinklers and lines were tested and fixed where needed. My water was timed to my allotted watering days and by the end of the summer my yard was usually crispy. In the fall, the lines were purged and turned off in preparation of the freeze, just like most people in America.
Flood irrigation is a totally different experience. We use a pump to get water to the front corner of the yard, where the flood water does not reach, but I do not feel that I put any more effort into flood irrigation than I did into my sprinkler systems. In fact, I quite like the time I spend in yard with my fire hydrant-like hose. If you recall being a kid playing in the yard, you can relate to how I sometimes feel when watering the year.
On-the-whole, the water flows reliably allowing many of my neighbors and myself to enjoy plush green grass with little effort and a smaller utility bill. So long as the neighborhood continues to maintain our ditch and work together to take turns with the water; flood irrigation will remain a part our summer routine.
So long as neighborhoods continue to do the same, I see no reason why the continued urban development cannot coexist with some of the areas older traditions.
