General Information on Canals:

SFWPA owns and operates over 100 linear miles of irrigation water conveyance infrastructure. The irrigation system is intended to supply farms, ranches, vineyards, orchards, home gardens, and other agriculture needs within our community.

Occasionally, irrigation water service is subject to interruption due to planned maintenance and unplanned emergencies. The district attempts to inform customers at least one day in advance ahead of any planned irrigation water outages. When un-forecasted events occur, the agency will make every attempt to update the impacted customers, but there will likely be little to no advance notice given in such an event. Re-establishing irrigation water service will vary according to your location on the canal.

SFWPA has four (4) full-time Ditch Tenders assigned to specific regions. Each region is extremely unique from the next. Portions of our canal system are already running at full or nearly full capacity and are not currently eligible for any new customers.

Our customer service team is available Monday – Friday from 8am -5pm to assist and answer questions pertaining to starting or stopping a SFWPA water service.

Canal Safety:

SFWPA has the upmost concern for the safety of our community and while portions of our irrigation canal system can be attractive to recreate near or even in, the dangers of our canals must be respected. While it might look calm at the surface, the canals often carry an underwater current that can easily knock people down and briskly take them downstream. In addition to these hazards, there are also culverts, grates, and trash racks that a person could become trapped in. The sides of the irrigation canals are often steep and slippery that make it nearly impossible for a person to get climb out.

Please be respectful and cautious to the dangers of irrigation canals.

Do Not Drink the Water / Unknown Contaminations:

SFWPA irrigation water is predominantly delivered via open ditches and canals, therefore is exposed to unknown bacteria and contaminants. While the original sources of our watershed are pristine and of good water quality, irrigation water should under no circumstances be used for potable purposes. Just simply looking with the blind-eye, smelling, or tasting the water will not detect the bacteria(s) and contaminants within the water.

Drinking water is heavily regulated and governed to ensure safe water is provided to communities across California and the greater United States. System operators must be state certified and equipment must be calibrated and maintained to ensure the final product is safe to deliver.