Irrigation ditch

Today is Pioneer Day, a holiday in Utah that celebrates the arrival of the pioneers in Salt Lake Valley on July 24,1847.  The picture is of an irrigation ditch, which is at the side of the streets in parts of the city.   The pioneers started these irrigation systems soon after arriving, and they have been used for a long time.  In recent years, they have been discontinued.  The city would release river water into the channels, usually twice a week, and you could put a board in the ditch to divert the water onto your yard or garden.  Seemed to me like it worked well, but now they say too much water is lost in the process.   
You can see by the grass in the picture that we are in a drought, drier than usual,  and could really use some good rain. We do live in a desert.  Irrigation was essential to the pioneers to settle the West. 
Anyway, happy Pioneer Day!