Flooded yards in Waddell (Peoria, Surprise: houses, neighborhood, maintenance)

[wizfourfam]

My kids live in Waddell. We have noticed homes off major roads like Olive periodically flood the areas around their yard/home. Any idea why this is done?

[West Phx Native]

irrigation, they are watering the yards.

[LBTRS]

Yeah, they flood it and let it soak in to water the grass. Normally have a water canal that runs in front of their house where they can let water out of to flood the yard.

[observer53]

Originally Posted by LBTRS

Yeah, they flood it and let it soak in to water the grass. Normally have a water canal that runs in front of their house where they can let water out of to flood the yard.

Sometimes the ditch runs behind the houses as well. In some areas, like Arcadia, there's a whole system of pipes and valves carrying the water underground, and you don't even know where the ditch or canal is from your house unless you go look. A separate water company runs that whole system, and schedules when you get the water. Out in Waddell, it's probably SRP, as it was in Peoria where my sister lived.

[LBTRS]

Originally Posted by observer53

Sometimes the ditch runs behind the houses as well. In some areas, like Arcadia, there's a whole system of pipes and valves carrying the water underground, and you don't even know where the ditch or canal is from your house unless you go look. A separate water company runs that whole system, and schedules when you get the water. Out in Waddell, it's probably SRP, as it was in Peoria where my sister lived.

Oh, interesting. That explains whey they all seem to do it close to the same time. I remember when I worked in Surprise and would drive through Waddell on my daily commute and would see all the yards flooded at the same time. I was unaware they were on some sort of a schedule and thought they just got to use the water whenever they wanted.

[grmi66]

Sometime the scheduled water delivery is in the middle of the night. So there are people out there that go around and open floodgates for a living so that the homeowner does not have to wake up at two in the morning.

[observer53]

Originally Posted by grmi66

Sometime the scheduled water delivery is in the middle of the night. So there are people out there that go around and open floodgates for a living so that the homeowner does not have to wake up at two in the morning.

In Arcadia, that company takes care of it for you. I still remember "Mr. Morgan" in his hip boots. They had a schedule inside a box on a pole in the neighborhood where you could sign up, or he'd just do it for you on regular intervals.

When my sister had it in Peoria, she had to go set the ditch, regardless of when the water was going to come. It helped to have someone else nearby get it at the same time, as you'd end up with more water. Some years, when there'd been plenty of rain or snow, or they were getting ready to drain the canals for maintenance, the irrigation water was free.