Phoenix Flood Irrigation

Phoenix Flood Irrigation was not something I understood when I moved to Phoenix in 1987. Even when Phoenix Flood Irrigation was explained to me, I had difficulty understanding. In Nebraska, we irrigated but not like that! It just didn’t make sense why anyone would use flood irrigation. The beauty of my 20’s. I would love to go back ONLY if I could take the brain I have now with me!

Why use Phoenix Flood Irrigation?

Phoenix is not the only city in Arizona that has flood irrigation available. Many cities like Chandler, Gilbert, Mesa, Glendale, Peoria, Queen Creek and many others also have flood irrigation.

I remember looking around at not only AZ horse property but single family homes in Phoenix and seeing two inches of water in every yard. I thought it had rained really hard, I didn’t realize this is how Arizona water is distributed for homeowners to water large areas of ground. I thought it must have rained really hard and they had flooding. I had never even heard the term, flood irrigation. I didn’t understand why Arizona water didn’t soak in faster either! I had so many questions. I lived in a small house on a big lot and I had a little dog. I thought it would be a great idea to water my yard with flood irrigation and then they said I might have to get up at 3:00 AM and water my lawn…that ended my flood irrigation ventures. So if this scares you, read on and I will explain everything you will want to know about flood irrigation and Arizona water…as associated with AZ horse property.

Phoenix Flood Irrigation came from the Indians

Fast forward 25 years and now I get it. So don’t feel bad if you are my age or even older and you still know nothing about Phoenix flood irrigation and AZ horse property. Flood irrigation is fairly unique to the Phoenix area and was setup and designed originally by the Indians. We still use their very ditches today to deliver the water to AZ horse property throughout the Valley.

Why do Homeowners use Flood Irrigation in Arizona?

This is the Arizona desert and water is precious. Arizona water is expensive if you want to water a large area of ground and grow grass and if you don’t water, you won’t have grass, you will have dirt and dust. Not all homes are equipped with flood irrigation. Many have desert landscape. Much of the Phoenix Valley was farmed in the 1950’s and earlier. Though there are still farms today, they are being gobbled up by developers. Flood irrigation was an inexpensive way to water farmland. Phoenix also has a lot of citrus groves that have been developed and they too are flood irrigation.
How Does a Homeowner Order Phoenix Flood Irrigation?

Who do you Pay for Flood Irrigation?

The city has various providers of flood irrigation. SRP irrigation provides water to parts of the Valley and Roosevelt Water District provides flood irrigation in the East Valley. There are also various providers that are private companies. Some of the private companies are in alignment as far as price goes and some are very high so it is imperative that you check to make sure you know how much it will cost you to water your property each month.

How Often do I irrigate my property?

In the summer months you will most likely flood your property twice monthly. You sign up for water in advance and then your provider will give you a time when your water will come. Your property will have a port if you have flood irrigation. Some are under ground and some are in ditches behind or sometimes in front of your property. Water only flows in these ditches during the time of irrigation and the rest of the time they are empty.

Where do I sign up for flood irrigation?

Depending on what provider you have for your irrigation, you could sign up online or you could sign up at a board in your neighborhood. There is usually a free standing board with paper in it and you go and sign your name on it and how much irrigation your want to receive. If you don’t know, ask your neighbors how much they get. Most properties with a home get anywhere from an hour to an hour and a half for a one acre parcel. This varies of course based on how much of your land is occupied by your home and other buildings, pools, parking, etc.

Michelle Shelton

Michelle Shelton is the owner and Designated Broker of Life Real Estate. She is the 2020 Vice-Chair and 2019 Treasurer of the Arizona Regional Multiple Listing Service (ARMLS) and serves on the Board of Directors with Arizona Association of REALTORS® as well as West and Southeast REALTORS® of the Valley. Michelle is also on the Rules Committee at ARMLS and serves on various task forces for ARMLS. As treasurer, she was the 2019 Chair of the Audit Committee. Michelle is active in raising the bar in the real estate industry as a whole. She has a passion for people and the rights of homeowners.

Michelle is a top producing REALTOR® in the state of Arizona.

As a Public Speaker and Writer, she has written for various magazine and trade publications and speaks Nationwide regarding the loss of her son, grief, and emotional health.

She is a Certified Negotiations Expert, Master Practitioner of NLP, and has attended Accredited Buyer classes and is a real estate instructor with Internal Dynamics Real Estate School.

Michelle enjoys time with her husband and family, Farm animals, writing, gardening, reading, and is a huge fan of personal growth.

Contact Michelle