The Nampa and Meridian Irrigation District, the Treasure Valley’s largest irrigation district, will shut down flows in its 500 miles of canals beginning October 11th -- marking the end of what NMID water managers are calling “the second-best water supply year in the Valley in nearly 75 years.”
“The Bureau of Reclamation told us that 2017 is the second highest water run-off year on record in the Boise River system, trailing only the 1943 water year. The good river flow gave us a full irrigation season -- and will also result in a good water carry-over in the reservoirs going into 2018,” said NMID Water Superintendent Greg Curtis.
The closing of the NMID Boise River diversion near Barber Park also brings to a close the end of the 2017 irrigation season in which water users received a full supply.
District employees will close the headgates of the Ridenbaugh Canal on the Boise River near Barber Park in the early morning hours of October 11 to let the system slowly “bleed down.”
“It could take up to two to three days for the canal system to empty completely in its furthest reaches,” Curtis added.
The Nampa and Meridian Board of Directors made the decision to end water deliveries at a recent regular board meeting. Last year, the NMID system was shut down on October 6th.
The canal water cutoff means residential water users using pressurized urban irrigation systems managed by the District will need to switch to another water source (such as a municipal system) if they want to continue to irrigate lawns and landscaping.
Curtis said the District will launch several large construction projects as soon as the canal system has dried out before freezing temperatures arrive. Projects will include the new concrete lining of 1,500 feet of the Ridenbaugh Canal, plus several other lining and piping projects to be completed before the beginning of the 2018 irrigation season.
“These projects provide for a more efficient system which saves water and requires less maintenance,” Curtis pointed out.
