We, the water users and taxpayers of the Lockwood Irrigation District, are coming together because our irrigation system needs real improvement.

Many of our ditches are in serious disrepair — heavily silted, overgrown with large trees and brush, and difficult to access. These conditions are reducing water delivery and hurting users throughout the district.

This is not about any one individual — it is about the needs of the users and the long-term health of our shared system.

What Lockwood truly needs is a dedicated, full-time Ditch Rider — a capable “jack of all trades” who can walk the ditches, clear vegetation, remove silt, install and repair head gates, operate excavators and chainsaws, perform equipment maintenance, and manage operations on the ground.

Hiring a qualified, hands-on Ditch Rider will reduce expensive contractor costs and allow those savings to be reinvested into the system for better water delivery and emergency repairs.

We respectfully request the Board to:

• Immediately begin accepting applications for a qualified full-time Ditch Rider
• Hire the new Ditch Rider to start this fall
• Transition the current manager to a part-time mentoring role (with pay reflective of actual hours worked) when the new Ditch Rider starts
• Phase out the mentoring role when the Board determines the new Ditch Rider can fully perform all required duties

This petition is not legally binding. It is an opportunity for the community to speak with one respectful voice and show the Board there is strong support for positive change.

Please sign and share if you want a stronger, better-maintained Lockwood Irrigation District.