How to form an Irrigation Water Delivery District

How to start an IWDD

Once you and your neighbors agree to form an IWDD, follow the steps below to start the process with the county.

First, decide which houses will fall within the boundaries of the group. An IWDD can only be formed if "50% plus one" of individual homeowners within your proposed boundary vote to approve.

Next, you’ll need to do some paperwork. Write and submit an impact statement, a request for resolution and a petition to Maricopa County.

For guidance, download this impact statement example and this petition example. You can find more resources and all the formal details on the Maricopa County special taxing districts website.

Finally, establish leaders and rules. You and your neighbors will elect trustees to govern the IWDD and, together, establish the bylaws.

How does an IWDD work?

Curious how an IWDD will work in your neighborhood? Here’s a quick overview to help you understand if it’s the right move.

• You choose who leads. Trustees are elected by you and your neighbors and can have different roles based on your IWDD's needs and bylaws.
• You set the rules. You and your neighbors establish the bylaws based on the needs of your private irrigation system.
• You’ll meet annually. Unless your bylaws state otherwise, trustees hold an open annual meeting to discuss budget needs for the next year, file necessary paperwork and schedule maintenance.
• Funds come from your property taxes. They’re collected each year through your Maricopa County property assessments, and 100% of the funds collected remain with the IWDD.

Explore the costs and benefits

Your IWDD trustees not only collect funds, they also coordinate maintenance and repairs to the private neighborhood system in a timely manner. Other benefits of an IWDD include:

• Establishes an account with the Maricopa County Treasury to save and pay for current and future irrigation expenses.
• Creates an equitable way to share the cost to repair and maintain private irrigation systems.
• Eliminates the task of collecting funds door-to-door.
• Establishes fair and transparent rules for how funds are spent.
• A well-maintained private irrigation system allows irrigation to flow efficiently protecting our water resource.

Here to help every step of the way

SRP aims to ensure the longevity of your neighborhood private irrigation system. The SRP Assisted Irrigation Delivery District (AIDD) program helps homeowners form an IWDD by guiding you through the entire formation process and providing continued support once complete.

In addition to overseeing the IWDD formation process with you, we can help:

• Answer questions related to your neighborhood irrigation system
• Evaluate the existing neighborhood system
• Provide all documents required to form an IWDD
• Complete the application
• Provide maps of the neighborhood system
• Attend neighborhood meetings to educate you and your neighbors about SRP and your neighborhood system
• Hold meetings and provide examples of by-laws and meeting agendas
• Attend city and county hearings to answer questions on behalf of SRP
• Serve as a Liaison between neighbors, city and county officials

Ready to enlist our help? Call (602) 236-3333 and ask for an IWDD Specialist or email iwdd@srpnet.com.