DEO WELDING
RO
Horse Trailer Repair
Ask Michelle about
Flood Irrigation
By Michelle Shelton of askmichelleshelton.com
O
ur horse property website, www.askmichelleshelton.com, has a very long reach
and brings in folks from all over the United States. Because of this, we help buyers
from California, the East Coast and many from the Midwest. Being from the
Midwest myself, I can tell you from personal experience that irrigation in Arizona is
nothing like irrigation in Nebraska or Iowa!
Specializing in Aluminum
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Misc. Welding Repair
THE ANSWER TO ALL
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Contact Ken Henry at:
623-580-8572 or
602-284-6724
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TACK & VET SUPPLIES
People in Arizona don’t Know How to Water!
When I first came to Arizona in 1987, I saw people’s yards flooded in the middle of July.
Initially I thought, they must have had a huge rain storm that lasted for days for it to
be flooded like that. If you have been here for any amount of time, you know it rains in
July but not for any amount of time! That was when someone explained to me that this
is how they watered in Arizona. It was called flood irrigation. It was an inexpensive and
effective way to water larger lots, horse properties and farm fields.
Fast forward to 2004 and we became the proud owners of our first Arizona horse
property in the beautiful city of Gilbert. It was irrigated with flood irrigation. I figured
that meant we would flood it when we felt like we wanted to water. Period. I had no
idea there was a process.
The Sign Up Process for Flood Irrigation
I first found out that I had to go down to Roosevelt Water District and personally create
an account...the old fashioned way, face to face. I had to deposit $50 to $100 dollars to
draw against each month and then the fun would begin. I must have had a dazed and
confused look on my face when the woman was talking. She told me there was a “sign
up board” at the end of one of the streets in my neighborhood. I was coming from
Nebraska thinking I was going to be the hick, but I never in my life had to leave my
home in Nebraska to sign up for water! As I listened to the process being explained,
I must have looked like one of the guys on the hit movie, Dumb and Dumber. It all
seemed so foreign to me!
How Does Flood Irrigation Work?
Once you sign up on the board, the District comes and picks up the board and on a
very specific date they then assign you a time slot for your water to be delivered. There
are ports on your property, usually in the back, and you must open these ports at the
beginning of your time slot and close them at the end of your time slot. This should
deliver enough water to your land to be flooded. It will then soak in over the next
couple of days deep watering your trees and pasture.
How Effective is Flood Irrigation?
I have grown to appreciate the desert and the precious resource of water. I have also
come to appreciate the process of watering large areas of land so I can pasture my
horses and goats. Flood irrigation has given me the closest feeling of the Midwest that
I can get way out in the middle of the Arizona desert. It requires organization and
cooperation with neighbors and sometimes it requires some lost sleep if your time slot
happens to be at 3:00 in the morning! It is the most effective way to water large areas of
land and create pasture for your horses.
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602-276-8894
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Didn’t Know You Could have Green Grass in Arizona?
When folks come to Arizona, this is one of the first things I teach them as their
REALTOR®. Most of them have no idea they could even have grass in Arizona. They
visualize it as sand and cactus. When you’re dreaming of shoveling sunshine instead of
snow, we can guide you on areas that have flood irrigation and areas that don’t and the
unique problems and benefits with both. This can help you decide exactly where you
want to live and if you want to be part of a community who irrigates or not.
About the Author - Michelle Shelton lives on horse property in Gilbert, AZ with her
husband and two younger girls. She and her husband, Paul, have five children and she has
been a top producing REALTOR® focused on horse property since 2004. She specializes in
both single family homes and horse property because she helps people upgrading to horse
property and downsizing to a single family home. No matter what your real estate needs,
please consider interviewing Michelle. You can have full access to the Arizona Multiple
Listing Service so you can see every single home for sale in the Phoenix area. Register/
Login at: www.azmlshub.com or call 480-577-8272 and ask for Michelle. You can also
visit her horse property website at: www.askmichelleshelton.com
AZintheSaddle.com