Canal Safety

Fresno Irrigation District

Until 1983, programs dealing with canal safety were handled individually by the irrigation districts on the east side of Fresno and northern Tulare County

In 1983, with the formation of the Fresno County Water Task Force, these programs of the irrigation districts were merged with the Task Force.

In 1983 and 1984, the efforts of the Task Force led to two significant advances in canal safety. One was the passage of an ordinance prohibiting swimming or trespassing in canals and on canal banks in the metropolitan Fresno-Clovis area. A significant clause of the ordinance called for the posting of all canal crossings in the urban area warning of the no swimming and trespassing regulation.

Following the passage of this ordinance, there was a noticeable decrease in canal bank use by young people for congregating and swimming, and over the seven-year cycle there has been a marked decline in the number of canal drownings and swimming related accidents.

A second major Task Force achievement has been the requirement that canals be piped by developers in areas of new construction. This has removed the presence of open canals in many new areas of housing and has appreciably simplified safety problems related to canals in these areas.

The Fresno Irrigation District (FID) inaugurated its own canal safety program as early as 1969, and the program was conducted continuously until the merger with the Task Force in 1983. A key part of the FID program was to enlist the support of the Fresno City and County schools in an effort to educate young students about the hazards of swimming in canals and playing on canal banks. The District annually provided color books which were introduced into each classroom, orienting students to the hazards of swimming in or playing along canals.

The in-school program was continued with renewed emphasis by the Task Force, which has intensified the effort with actual presentations to student body groups. These are made by teams from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Fresno County Sheriff's Department, with the aid of slide and film materials. The teams also distribute coloring books funded by the Task Force that are appropriate for the specific age groups of the various student audiences.

The scope of the Task Force has been broadened and now includes warnings on boating, pool safety, lakes, rivers, and ponding basins as well as canals. The Task Force covers the entire County and portions of the area served by the Consolidated and Alta Irrigation Districts, which are a part of the Task Force. These Districts also continue to maintain programs of specific canal safety activity on an individual basis, as does FID with new releases, radio spots and other activities.

Kings River Conservation District

Living in an arid climate that relies on water for irrigation, cooling and a green landscape is never as vivid as when the summer months shine overhead in the San Joaquin Valley. With longs days of endless sun and heat, the only relief for many people is a dip in a refreshing lake or river, and some will risk life and limb swimming in canals and ponding basins. Without caution, children and adults dive into the nearest body of water for relief from the heat and the result is near drownings and drowning fatalities throughout the Valley each year.

In the Kings River Service Area, water is stored and conveyed for uses such as irrigation of crops, industry and urban consumption. To provide for these uses, canals, lakes and ponding basins are found throughout the Valley. To help reduce drowning related accidents at those sites, the Kings River Conservation District is an active member of the Fresno County Water Safety Task Force. The District feels that making people more aware of the potential hazards associated with our water resources is essential.