Sub-Irrigation on Egin Bench

The Egin Bench area, settled in approximately 1880, is watered by subirrigation, a system rare in the world. Customary surface flooding irrigation did not work in this deep sandy soil. The pioneers found that a natural substratum barrier trapped canal water, thus raising the water table to water crops from below the surface and draining enough to prevent alkalization of the soil. The early settlers thanked the Lord for the miracle of this special feature. The system is monitored through small holes throughout the fields to gauge the water level. The construction of this irrigation system of canals, ditches and dams was a community effort and covered about 50,000 acres of land. It is still in use today.

Parker, Idaho · United States