If you would like to be on our mailing list (currently available only by US mail), send your request to Conservation District at 1120 Lincoln Rd., Ste A, Idaho Falls, ID  83401

To contact us:

Phone: 208-522-6250 ext. 3

Fax: 208-522-0280

 

Home | About SWCD’s | Board & Staff | Landowner Programs | Education   Programs | Equipment Rental | News | Links & Partners

 

  

 

 

                                                 

The snow is disappearing,

green grass emerging, and as usual, lots of trash in the form of plastic bags, paper, tree branches and other debris seem to have collected in the area’s canals and ditches over the winter months.

For the 14th year the West Side Soil & Water Conservation District is holding their annual Adopt-A-Canal project.  With the participation of local Civic and Service organizations, Scouts, youth groups, neighborhood associations,

resource agencies and businesses, area canals are scheduled to be cleaned.   During the period of April 1st thru the 12th, participants sign up to adopt a section of canal to gather the litter and debris.

Adopt-A-Canal brings attention to the problem of grass and other yard clippings being dumped in area canals and urban runoff entering the

waterways.

The goal of the project is

to help residents understand how our actions impact the environment, and how each individual can make a difference.  Project volunteers are rewarded with the satisfaction of knowing that because of their efforts, Idaho Falls and its

surrounding communities are more attractive places to live, and that the canals which enter back to the Snake River are a cleaner, healthier waterway.

Did You Know? The canals that crisscross the city are more than just “ditches” that look pretty when the water is fl owing. You probably know how important the canal system is to our economy—that without this water, our farms could not sustain crops. But, did you know that all canal water not used for irrigation returns to the Snake River?

Chemicals—from trash that’s dumped  or blown in to the canals, from grass clippings and yard trimmings, and from runoff such as used motor oil, paint, and excess lawn fertilizer and pesticides…every variety of common household

chemicals—could end up contaminating

the Snake River.

History of the project began in 1992with local farmers, the West Side Soil &  Water Conservation District, and local irrigation companies meeting to find a solution to the problem of residents disposing of trash and grass clippings in the irrigation canals running

throughout the urban area and many times fl owing downstream being drawn into and damaging irrigation pumps.

 

Public education efforts began in 1993

with fliers inserted in city utility bills,

meetings with area realtors, and visits to schools, stressing the importance of maintaining clean waterways. A pilot project on Saturday, April 16th 1994, involved 40 people who spent two hours cleaning a mile section of the Porter Canal running along the west side of the Idaho Falls greenbelt.  Canal running along the west side of the Idaho Falls greenbelt. The group collected nearly a hundred bags of trash! Thus the Adopt-A-Canal

project was born.

The group collected nearly a hundred bags of trash! Thus the Adopt-A-Canal project was born. Over the years there have

Over the years there have been quite a variety of items found. In addition to large amounts of paper and plastic bags, other items gathered were tires, metal dressers, a kitchen stove, bed frames and springs, boards, bicycles, shopping carts, motor parts, and even some foreign currency. With the assistance of the Idaho Falls and  Ammon Sanitation Departments, the

New Sweden, Idaho, and Progressive Irrigation Districts, the collected garbage bags and other debris is properly

disposed.

We Can All Do Our Part! If each and every one throughout the year properly disposes of garbage, yard and grass

clippings and other debris, we can help prevent the problem of trash in the canals, thus ensuring the waterways running through our neighborhoods remain free of any pollutants.

 

Thank You to all the Volunteers, City Sanitation

Departments, and Irrigation Districts for their

assistance in a project that benefits all those living in

and around the Idaho Falls area. Through the conscious

efforts of everyone, we are protecting our environment

and making our community a better place to live.

A Local Service Project Continuing To Make A Difference

14th Anniversary for AD

 

 

OPT-A-CANAL Project