We get our irrigation from a lateral called Laguna Ditch.  It goes under University about half a mile west of McDowell Rd and crosses to a long block south of McDowell and University.  Google Earth shows the ditches.

The Elephant Butte Irrigation  District  publishes, on their web site, the dates we can irrigate.  The neighbors all get together and see to it that the ditches are clean and gopher holes are filled.  

Someone said, "Civilization started on a ditchbank, because everyone needs water."  

We call the Laguna Lateral "The Big Ditch."  We turn an orange 'steering wheel' about seven turns to let water into the Bathtub just south of it.  From there it runs down a cement ditch which is about 3' high to what we call The T.  

Water for our side of the land comes out on the east side of the T and runs east along the Upper Ell.  It makes a right about 300' down and becomes the Lower Ell.  

Another 300 feet, and you are at Gandy's Corners. From there it turns east again, and runs along the Gandy Ditch to Willoughby's Corners, where it continues on to Willoughby, or turns right (south) through a gate which lets it into a smaller ditch bordered by privets, grown to provide shade and, therefore, keep plants and weeds out of the ditch.

 It goes about 600' to my place, 3321 Gandy Lane, to Reed's Corner, and turns right down a ditch on my property and flows out along this ditch.  It also continues south to Justin's place.  3321 is higher than 3333, and in the past the custom has been to irrigate 3321 first, so water won't spill over onto 3333.  Both the workshop and the house were built low on that property, and there's always a worry that the water will go into them.  

The Bubbler is where water comes up after passing down a fairly short, narrow ditch on the west side of Gandy Lane just S of Gandy's Corners, and going under the lane.  

We judge how much water to 'turn in' from the big ditch by the number of times we turn the wheel around.  One turn moves up two screw divisions on the turnpipe.  

You're allowed to start the irrigation at midnight Friday/Saturday and have to shut it off Sunday at midnight.  One property gets any 24-hour period.  An irrigation is figured at 3" deep everywhere, on average.  Taxes for almost two acres are about $300 a year.  

 The grassy strip to the middle right (shaded) in the pic below looks north up the Lower Ell.  The photographer is standing by Gandy's Corners at the north end of Gandy Lane.

 Below: a shot along the shallow irrigation ditch by the lane on the west side of 3321.

 Above: rich greenery between two of the houses.

 Above: Looking south toward Union Ave.

Below: No idea.  Probably 3311.

Above: the last house on the lane.  the huge trunks were gorgeous cottonwoods before the drought.  Gandy's Corners is between the first and second trunks. 

 Above: a peep of the neighbor's well-kept lawn and evergreens to the north.  Below: a second shot of the shallow ditch on the west side of 3321.

  To the left -- raindrops caught in an evergreen on the morning of Sept 18.