Twin Falls irrigation water disrupted after utility provider damages lines

TWIN FALLS, Idaho (KMVT/KSVT) — Some Twin Falls residents lost access to irrigation water Friday morning after a utility provider damaged pressurized irrigation zones.

“They struck our pressurized irrigation lines in about a dozen places throughout twin so it was an uphill battle for our water crews to try and repair that as quickly as possible,” said Josh Palmer, public information officer with the city of Twin Falls.

The city addressed the repairs but ran into an issue regarding parts. Nine zones remained down as of Friday afternoon.

The damage comes as the city already struggles with limited water resources.

“We’re starting the season with a 15% curtailment. Meaning the canal company is delivering about 15% less water than what we would have normally received for our pressurized irrigation systems so what that means for those customers is that with less water we need to share,” Palmer said. “We have always lived in a high desert and so there’s never been the unlimited abundance of water that I think maybe some of us have come to expect.”

The city suggested residents check a flow meter at TFID.org to determine the best times to water.

“Go to TF ID org check that flow meter and it’ll show you in green and in red. When is the best and the worst time to have your sprinklers going to be watering your lawn? Choose green green means go red means too many people are watering and there’s not enough flow in that pump station to keep up with that demand,” Palmer said.