The Skinny on Pressurized Irrigation in Idaho

Confused about pressurized irrigation? Some people may not be aware that pressure irrigation systems and drinking water are controlled by separate entities, one by the water company and the other by the irrigation district.  In pressure irrigation systems water is diverted from a river into a system of canals from which a pump “pressurizes” the water and distributes it as needed.

How has Idaho real estate come to depend upon pressure irrigation systems?

When Idaho is mentioned many people think of Idaho potatoes or the significant Idaho agriculture.  Indeed agribusiness represents a large portion of the state’s economy impacting an excess of 100,000 jobs, a considerable number in today’s competitive job market.  What one might not stop to consider are city parks and the landscaping that gives a city its beauty, or the lush green yards that so many suburban Idaho residents work diligently to maintain.   Pressurized irrigation systems are of mandatory importance to both rural and suburban Idaho.

What are some of the benefits of a pressurized irrigation system to the average Idaho real estate owner?

The value of lush and well-maintained lawns adds desirability to any community.  A vast majority of Idaho neighborhoods use pressurized irrigation powered by a pump-house under the control of a neighborhood Homeowners Association.  The pump sucks water from local canals and distributes it to the neighborhood landscape, thus homeowners do not feel the summer-time “pinch” to their pocket books during the scorching summer months that wreak havoc on utility bills.

A garden in any yard can add to a properties real estate value as well.  Since the invention of the impact sprinkler system in the 1930s, drip irrigation has become the most cost efficient and innovative invention to home-gardening and agriculture.  Drip-irrigation is a pressurized irrigation system that utilizes easily installed plastic pipes to carry water under low pressure to areas where it’s needed, exceeding a ninety percent efficiency whereas other systems may be between only fifty or seventy percent efficient.  It is also more efficient because it stretches water supplies and is thus exempt from many of the restrictions placed on homeowners during seasons of drought.

Gravity pulls water down hills and slopes often accumulating and becoming waste water, making it an inefficient system for irrigation and creating a breeding ground for mosquitoes and pollution from runoff.  Drip irrigation fed by pressurized water distributes it in a manner that allows it to soak in rather than creating muddy puddles.

Are there any disadvantages to a pressure irrigation system?

Even the most efficient systems have disadvantages.  A few contractors are reticent to work around “pressurized” or drip irrigation because of the inability to see if it is working properly, and systems are sometimes damaged by other landscaping projects.  If not properly maintained emitters can become clogged, cutting off the water flow. 

As in landscape maintenance, a pressurized irrigation system must be maintained for the value and desirability of your Idaho real estate to peak.