Irrigation
Responsibilities
The City of Kuna Irrigation Department is run by the staff that makes up the Water Department. They inspect, operate and maintain gravity and pressurized irrigation systems including all pipelines, pump stations and storage ponds. Staff are on-call 24/7 to respond to irrigation emergencies.
Pressurized Irrigation
The City of Kuna has various pressurized irrigation pump stations; several of which have ponds that store irrigation water to help manage flow at peak use times. The start of irrigation season is dependent on when the irrigation districts (Boise-Kuna, New York) allow for the delivery of water. The season generally begins mid-to-late April. The crews start fillings the lines with low pressure water so they can find and fix breaks before the system reaches full pressure. The first couple of weeks of this process are the hardest because of the possibility of potential breaks in the main lines and service connections. Irrigation staff work diligently and methodically during this time to not put unwarranted stress on the irrigation system and to deliver irrigation water in a timely and efficient manner.
Low Water Pressure
Periodically, Kuna residents will experience lower than normal water pressures caused by too many customers irrigating at the same time. When pressures are low, sprinklers will not provide the coverage for which they were designed and your lawn may develop dry spots. The hours from 4:00 am to 8:00 am are particularly heavy use times. If you experience low pressure, change your timers to irrigate at a different time of day. We recommend the hours from 10:00 am to 10:00 pm (daytime), as these times are generally under-utilized.
The Best Time to Irrigate
The City pressure irrigation system is designed to operate 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. Water is delivered to the system from the canals at a constant rate. The system works best, and most efficiently, if user demand throughout the 24 hour day matches the constant delivery rate. In actual practice, users heavily concentrate their use in the early morning hours, particularly in the from 4:00 am to 8:00 am, and drastically under-utilize the system during the hours of 10:00 am to 10:00 pm (daytime); it works best to set your sprinklers to avoid these heavy use times.
Irrigation Conservation Regulations and BMPs
7-8-10(E) Alternate day irrigating: Irrigation from the Kuna municipal pressurized irrigation system may be scheduled to occur on alternate days by order of the city or its agent. If an order is instituted, homes with a street address ending with an odd number shall irrigate on odd numbered days and homes with a street address with an even number shall irrigate on even numbered days.
7-8-10(G) Wanton wasting of irrigation water or use of irrigation water in a manner to cause damage or nuisance to adjoining properties is prohibited. The city or its agent may disconnect any service which wastes, causes damage to adjacent property or creates a nuisance through its use of irrigation water from the city system.
State Statute
42-607. DISTRIBUTION OF WATER. It shall be the duty of said water-master to distribute the waters of the public stream, streams or water supply, comprising a water district, among the several ditches taking water therefrom according to the prior rights of each respectively, in whole or in part, and to shut and fasten, or cause to be shut or fastened, under the direction of the department of water resources, the head-gates of the ditches or other facilities for diversion of water from such stream, streams or water supply, when in times of scarcity of water it is necessary so to do in order to supply the prior rights of others in such stream or water supply; provided, that any person or corporation claiming the right to the use of the waters of the stream or water supply comprising a water district, but not owning or having the use of an adjudicated or decreed right therein, or right therein evidenced by permit or license issued by the department of water resources, shall, for the purposes of distribution during the scarcity of water, be held to have a right subsequent to any adjudicated, decreed, permit, or licensed right in such stream or water supply, and the water-master shall close all head-gates of ditches or other diversions having no adjudicated, decreed, permit or licensed right if necessary to supply adjudicated, decreed, permit or licensed right in such stream or water supply. So long as a duly elected water-master is charged with the administration of the waters within a water district, no water user within such district can adversely possess the right of any other water user.
Helpful Links
2023 Gravity Irrigation Delivery Schedule (PDF)
Idaho Legislature Title 42 - Irrigation Water (LINK)
Idaho Legislature Title 50 - Chapter 18 - City Irrigation Systems (LINK)