Canal Water Safety - What you need to know!

Photo: Debbie Courson Smith via Boise Daily Photos

Whether you are new to the area, or you have lived here your entire life - it is so important to know about the irrigation canals, how to stay safe around them and why they are so dangerous.

As Spring has sprung, the snow and ice is melting from the mountains with the runoff heading down to fill the chilly, yet beautiful rivers and streams! To keep from floods from occuring, these irrigation canals fill up and are able to provide irrigation water to newer (in the last 10 years or so) homes throughout the city.

The more the weather warms, the fuller the canals become.
And while this can appear to be a relaxing place too cool off as the temperatures rise… IT’S NOT!

It’s not just children that need to be careful around these swift and deep streams or water. Adults need to take extreme caution when near these canals as many accidental deaths have occured.

With the steep sloping sides and canal depths reaching to 10 feet deep, the dangers don’t just lie in the fast moving flow of water. IT would be near impossible to be able to escape once in the water. It takes minutes, if not seconds, for an accident to occur… and the best way to avoid it: is to have the facts, and be prepared!

The #1 way to stay safe around irrigation canals? Is to NOT be around irrigation canals.
The further you are from the fast-moving water, the better. The areas around these canals are NOT for recreational use for people, pets and especially children. And if you find yourself having to be somewhat near one… know that you should NEVER get to close, intentionally or not, to the point where you could slip, fall or find yourself in the water under any circumstance.

Make sure you are talking to you kids about water safety in general… but especially about the canals. Children die each year due to canal accidents - don’t let it happen to you.

Enjoy the warming weather, find safe ways to stay cool… and always be aware!

Check out this video from Nampa & Meridian Irrigation District for more: Canal Safety Video