News Articles

 

“DON’T FORGET TO WINTERIZE YOUR SYSTEM"

 

The Kennewick Irrigation District (KID) will begin to drain their canals Monday, October 18, 2010 at 8:00 a.m. It will take approximately two-weeks to drain the canals and many miles of pipelines within the District. A substantial amount of water will be pushed through the Amon Basin as our main canal is being drained.

 

Homeowners can prevent damages to their KID valve and riser by winterizing their system. By following the simple steps below you can keep your KID valve and/or riser from freezing which in turn will help keep maintenance costs down and prevent leaky or broken valves next spring

 

Complete the following steps to winterize your irrigation riser:

 

1. Ensure that the water delivery to your home has ended for the season.

2. Locate the KID riser for your lot.

3. Drain the KID riser and valve. This can be done by disconnecting hoses and/or the irrigation system from the KID riser, and opening the gate valve. If it is not possible to disconnect the irrigation system from the riser, you will need to open all sprinkler valves and then let gravity empty the system. Drain times will vary from home to home so please be patient and wait for the water to stop flowing out of the riser.

4. Once the water flow has stopped, winterize your irrigation system. Consult with a professional to determine the proper winterization procedure for your irrigation system. Warning: Personal injury and/or property loss can and will occur if winterization is done improperly or incompletely!

5. After your system has been professionally drained, fully open and close the KID gate valve several times to ensure that water is not trapped inside the valve or riser.

6. Repeat steps 3, 4 and 5 until both your sprinkler system and the KID riser are completely free of water.

7. Finally, close the KID gate valve and leave it closed. If the irrigation system was disconnected from the riser, do not reconnect it until spring startup.