Homeowner Information

Frequently Asked Questions

The irrigation season typically begins on April 15th and ends on October 15th depending on water supply. For those who use gravity irrigation, please contact the lateral association that delivers water to your property for available irrigation watering times.

For those who use pressure irrigation from a private system, please contact your homeowners association for your irrigation schedule. For those who use pressure irrigation system in which Settlers Irrigation District owns, please refer to our website for your irrigation watering schedule times. Only a certain amount of water is made available to each system for 24 hours a day 7 days a week. To ensure that there is adequate water supply and water pressure in a system, please follow the irrigation schedule.

Yes, lands located within Settlers Irrigation District but do not have access to irrigation water are still obligated to pay the irrigation assessment. Prior to the development of these lands into residential subdivisions, the property was irrigated farm land that established a water right with the irrigation district.

The property still has a water right and is still held liable for the assessment to help pay for the maintenance of the dams, canals, and ditches. In most cases, the developer of the property failed to provide a way in which irrigation water could be delivered to these individual lots within a subdivision.

Yes, this method is known as an exclusion. Visit our exclusion of land page to download an Exclusion Petition as well as a letter of instruction, or contact us to determine whether your property is eligible to exclude. All current and past due assessments must be paid in full along with the exclusion fees before a property can be officially excluded from the district.

Yes, irrigation delivery can be restored through the use of a Local Improvement District (LID), which through an election can install a pressure irrigation system to all lots within the LID. The cost of these improvements is paid for by the users only, not all taxpayers. Reinstatement of previously excluded lands and annexation of new lands may also be available.

When purchasing a new home, be certain to ask about the availability of irrigation water.

The Settlers Canal and a few if its laterals are owned and operated by Settlers Irrigation District. Settlers also has a canal right-of-way which is a strip of land adjacent to all irrigation facilities. The rights-of-ways established for these canals and ditches are for use only by the District or Lateral Association for the operation and maintenance of the irrigation canal system.

Water in the canal system has been appropriated from the State of Idaho for private use, the same as a potable water system usually provided by a city. These water rights are held in trust by the District for use on lands located within the District for which the water is designated. We can assist you in determining if your lands have a valid water right.

We do not operate or maintain private sprinkler systems in lawns and gardens. There are also privately owned pressure irrigation systems that belong to the applicable homeowner's association. Settlers Irrigation District does not own, operate, or maintain these Homeowner systems. We wish you the best, we know these systems can cause frustrating problems!

Canal Safety

Irrigation water is not safe to drink. This water should only be used for irrigation purposes. To prevent contamination of your drinking water from the irrigation water, please install a back flow prevention device to keep your sprinkler water separate from your drinking water. You should have your back flow prevention device tested annually.

Irrigation canals and ditches are dangerous. They have very cold, swift moving water in them, along with steep banks, which make these irrigation facilities very dangerous. Canals are not to be used for recreational purposes. No one, especially children, should play or be near an irrigation canal, ditch, or drain.

Low Pressure Issues

Low pressure issues are generally caused by multiple users irrigating at the same time of day. The irrigation system is designed for use on a rotation basis and will not work if demand exceeds supply. Despite what the news says, it is imperative that some homeowners and most common areas be watered between the hours of 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. to appropriately utilize the rotation system. Your lawn will not burn if you water in the heat of the day; both pressure and coverage will be much better. Also, the importance of following your watering schedule cannot be understated. The highest demand is between 4 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. It is recommended to NOT water during those times if you want to avoid constant pressure and water availability issues. There are times in the middle of the day that the pumps go to "sleep" because no one is watering; take advantage of those times.

Settlers is a constant flow irrigation district so the same amount of water is being delivered to the pump station 24 hours a day. Excessive demand on the pumps during peak hours is what causes issues in the evening/morning. Please review the watering schedule for your subdivision either located on our website for Settlers pumps or provided to you by your HOA and avoid watering during the high demand hours for optimal pressure. If you cannot find your subdivision listed, please contact your HOA for your watering time. It is also necessary to periodically clean your sprinkler heads and irrigation pre-filter which is located in the green irrigation box in your back yard.

Watering schedules for each pump in the District can be found on our watering schedule page.

Notice About Tree/Root Encroachments

Settlers Irrigation has an easement on all irrigation facilities, including gravity irrigation, pressure irrigation, and irrigation valves. Trees (and any other encroachments) are not permitted to be placed within an irrigation easement without express written consent from the District. Tree roots have increasingly become a problem and are damaging valves and irrigation lines.

Any damage caused to an irrigation facility is the liability of the tree owner (homeowner/landowner), that includes any losses to neighboring property and landscaping from flooding and/or irrigation being turned off. Any obstruction that needs to be removed (shed, pavement, fence, tree, etc) will be done at the homeowners expense. These repairs are very costly. Do not plant trees near your irrigation valves or over irrigation lines.

Additionally, no one besides authorized personnel should be operating the valves that are 4 feet down in the ground. Do not allow the people who blow out sprinklers to close those valves, they should remain open at all times unless water needs to be shut off to do a repair. Review the easements declared in your closing documents to determine where irrigation facilities are located on your property.

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