A clip from Nampa & Meridian Irrigation District’s canal safety YouTube video.
Canal Safety at Nampa & Meridian Irrigation District By Daren Coon
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IRRIGATION LEADER
PHOTOS COURTESY OF NAMPA & MERIDIAN IRRIGATION DISTRICT AND THE BUREAU OF RECLAMATION.
The incidence of accidental adjacent to NMID canals or ditches drowning in Idaho is too high. Idaho are often in the best position to also has the unfortunate distinction install and maintain fences. The of having the second-highest licensing process ensures that the accidental drowning rate for children district has access to its canals and ages 1 through 5 in the United ditches for maintenance and the States. fence meets appropriate district For over two decades, Nampa standards. & Meridian Irrigation District There have been some efforts (NMID) has worked with our to institutionalize private fence taxpayers and community to foster maintenance; however, those efforts a culture of safety around district are difficult to maintain over time. canals and drains. Several years ago, concerned citizens NMID delivers irrigation water formed groups to look at areas where to 69,000 acres of farms and lawns high numbers of drowning incidents in southwestern Idaho via the more occurred. The groups constructed than 500 miles of canals and drains fences around schools and parks From Nampa & Meridian Irrigation District’s canal safety YouTube video. it operates and maintains. Given that bordered canals. However, the size of the district and the maintenance is a challenge because variety of properties through which its canals and ditches the groups rely on private donations and involvement to course, enclosing those canals and ditches in pipes or maintain these structures, and many have fallen into disrepair. with fencing is not viable at this time. The cost of erecting More recently, the increased use of the land near and maintaining fences around 500 miles of canals and canals and ditches for recreational purposes has made the drains would not only be implausible, it would increase maintenance of safety a challenge. Several years ago, due the risk of lawsuits: By constructing a fence, the district to an increase in requests, the district began licensing the is communicating a duty to keep people away from a use of land adjacent to drain ditches to neighboring cities dangerous object (almost like a beware of dog sign.) to open recreational pathways. Our drain ditches are very By using the proper licensing process, property owners deep, the banks are extremely steep, and there have been
