Secondary water supply management, or outdoor raw water supply for non-potable use, such
as for lawns and gardens and other non-agricultural uses within irrigation enterprise
service areas, is a growing business for these enterprises all over the West. This tradition began early in the development of
these enterprises. Irrigation districts and
canal companies in California and Utah were known in the early years to provide this kind
of water service, in addition to supplying water for irrigated agriculture.
The service has great potential to address urban growth around irrigated areas, while
maintaining, for at least the near future, our irrigated agriculture infrastructure. Some might say that the business innovation to be
described below actually promotes more urban sprawl onto irrigated lands. However, urban growth onto irrigated lands may
have more to do with county land use policy than it does with any kind of raw water
service that might be provided by irrigation enterprises to outlying subdivisions, golf
courses and recreational facilities. Let us
look briefly at some of these systems.