Getting started
There are four basic steps in the irrigation process:
All it takes is one simple phone call to the
Water Customer Service Office at (602)
236-3333. Once you've given one of our representatives your name and address, we'll
provide you with an account number, and explain how to activate your account for the
calendar year.
The SRP delivery gate is opened by a zanjero. The water from an SRP lateral is
released through the delivery gate into your neighborhood. It is at this point
that SRP's system ends.
Once water leaves the SRP delivery gate, it is carried to your property in either a
dirt ditch, concrete lined ditch, or a pipe-line. This system is owned, operated and
maintained by you and your neighbors.
A standbox or standpipe in the private system contains the control gates that
divert water throughout your sub-division.
Safety note: uncovered standboxes pose a safety risk for curious children and animals. They should be covered at all times. By covering the boxes, you also prevent debris from entering the system.
Tips
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Contact the Water Customer Service Office
or call (602) 236-3333 and we will mail you a map of your private irrigation system, if
available, at no cost.
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Make any necessary repairs to your private system as soon as possible to prevent
water from escaping, and to avoid suspension of your irrigation service.
- Keep your yard berms built up enough to contain all the water you order. A berm is an earthen ridge that encircles and holds water on irrigated property.
- Clear ditches of weeds and obstructions.
- Clean the grates in your system before and during your water delivery. Grates at the beginning of pipelines keep debris from entering pipes and your yard.
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Regularly maintain your yard valve or port and keep it tightly closed when not irrigating. The valve or port is the device opened and closed to start and stop water flow in your yard.
In your neighborhood there is an SRP sign-up board with irrigation order sign-up
sheets. If you are a new property owner, or you can't find the sign-up board,
or the order sheet is missing, call the Water Customer Service Office.
When is water available?
Water is available to you approximately every two weeks from April through
September, and about once a month from October through March. Check your
neighborhood sign-up board regularly for scheduling information and SRP notices.
Water is delivered 24 hours a day, seven days a week, including holidays. You will
not receive water during a scheduled "dry-up."
Every fall, portions of the major canals north and south of the Salt River are drained
separately for construction and maintenance work. Dry-ups are scheduled generally
between October and January. See the newsletter and sign-up board notices for
exact dry-up dates.
How much water should I order?
On the irrigation sign-up sheet, you will find a number called the "Most Frequent Order."
This number represents the maximum amount of water allotted to your property based
on its acreage, or the amount of time ordered for the last delivery. This number can
serve as a guide to how much water to order.
You may order from five minutes up to your maximum allocation, in five-minute increments.
For most standard subdivision lots, 30 minutes will usually be enough.
Signing up for water
There are two ways to order irrigation water. You can
order water and view your irrigation schedule online,
or you can use the sign-up sheet in your neighborhood.
Order water using the sign-up sheet. Find the line on the sheet with your address.
In the column outlined in red to the left of your address, write how long you would
like the water to run into your yard.
In the upper left-hand corner of the sign-up sheet, there are two important dates.
The upper line is the last date to order water. SRP will pick up the sheets on that
date and tabulate the amount of water for your neighborhood.
The second date is the date your neighborhood's water schedule will be posted back
on the sign-up board. Please note the post-back date, and check the schedule that
evening. Your water delivery could begin early the following morning.
It is also a good idea to make note of who is scheduled to receive water both before
and after you. Then, if the water is late, you can check with your neighbor to determine
the problem. Or, if the water is running early, you can notify the next neighbor in
sequence to pick up the water a little early. This prevents flooding.
What if I don't want water?
You may choose not to irrigate on occasion because:
- Rain has provided sufficient water.
- You may be on vacation or unavailable.
- You aren't able to find someone to irrigate for you.
Just write "NO ORDER" in the space you would normally write your requested time.
When the schedule is printed, "NO ORDER" will appear in place of your schedule time.
Tips
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You can avoid flooding and wasting water by ordering only the amount of water that
can be contained on your property.
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If you aren't sure how much water to order, ask your neighbors who have similar-sized
yards and landscaping.
- Please print your order clearly in the red box. Unreadable handwriting causes scheduling errors.
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Neighbors can help each other with water scheduling conflicts, such as vacation, illness
and job conflicts.
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You can save a trip to the sign-up board by ordering your next water delivery when you
check your water delivery time.
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Because water is delivered 24 hours a day, it is important to check your sign-up board
each scheduling period for your on-date and time, and off-date and time.
About 30 minutes before your water is scheduled to arrive, take a look around your
neighborhood. Check any standboxes to make sure the gates are set properly.
Check with the neighbor who is getting water before you to make sure everything is
on schedule.
At your scheduled time, open your yard valve or the port cover in your ditch.
At the end of your scheduled time, close your valve or replace the port cover in your ditch.
If your yard is properly graded and well-aerated, you should have between two and three
inches of water standing, and it should be absorbed within about three hours.
You can hire a commercial irrigator to handle your neighborhood's irrigation needs.
They order and oversee water deliveries, and often make repairs to the private system.
If you're interested, call (602) 236-3333 for a list of commercial irrigators.
Tips
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If the water is running ahead of schedule, make arrangements to split the
extra time among your neighbors. This will prevent flooding.
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If there is more than three hours extra water to share, please call the Water Customer
Service Office to have the water temporarily turned off.
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Neighbors should take scheduled water, even if it rains to avoid flooding and
waste. Neighbors should share as much of the water as possible. When every
yard in your subdivision is full, call the Water Customer Service Office to request
that the delivery be ended early.
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Water flows more quickly if ditches are free of weeds and grass, and if you mow
your grass a day or two before receiving water.
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If your yard has not been irrigated for many months, you may want to consider
aerating before you irrigate. This will allow the water to penetrate your yard
more efficiently.