CANYON COUNTY -- For the second time in about a month, a canal break sent water flooding into Canyon County roads and yards.
The Deer Flat Low Line Canal broke in June and damaged homes and streets. On Saturday afternoon, that same canal broke again, sending water running down Plum Road.
"Just a big flood of water coming down the road,” said Charlie Robinson, an orchard worker who helped clean up the flood. “Water was clear out into the road and heading out into the yards."
The last break was in the middle of the night and sent water tearing through the blacktop and surging through yards and homes.
"House down [the road], they had [water] in their basement, house and garage,” Robinson said. “This time it was headed in the same direction, but we managed to get it. How much they got inside we don't know.”
Because the Saturday afternoon break was quickly spotted, neighbors said the running water was quickly stopped.
"The neighbor down here, their yard is full of water and mud, so we blocked this, went down there and started digging his out. Just trying to stop it," Robinson said.
Farmers and Boise Project canal workers plugged up the break in the canal, while local orchard employees dug into the earth, diverting the rushing water away from yards and homes.
"We dug hard and threw sandbags for an hour, hour and a half,” Robinson said. “The last half hour just watching it and keeping an eye on things.”
While Plum Road will be closed again for repairs, people along the street said hard work and timing saved things from being worse.
"Fortunately it wasn't in the middle of the night and we've got a good bunch of employees and everybody pitched in and helped,” Robinson said. “I mean, that's what we're all for."
The canal provides irrigation water to local orchards and farms, bringing water from Lake Lowell.
Because farms, vineyards and orchards depend on the canal for water, there is some concern from owners.
Boise Project officials said the break would only affect owners in the short-term, perhaps only interrupting one watering cycle.
Boise Project officials said it's tough to tell why a canal breaks, but sometimes the cause is gophers or mice digging through the canal walls and weakening the barrier. In both breaks at Deer Flat, experts say critters are likely the cause.
