How Gophers Damage Drip Irrigation Systems

Gophers and drip irrigation are a destructive combination in Southern California landscapes.

Drip irrigation is standard in Southern California landscaping, and gophers have learned to exploit it. The combination of buried water lines and the moisture they deliver creates a serious problem for homeowners and property managers.

WHY GOPHERS CHEW IRRIGATION LINES

Gophers chew drip lines to access moisture directly and because lines obstruct their tunnel paths. Unlike hard PVC pipe, flexible drip tubing offers little resistance to gopher teeth. A single gopher can damage dozens of emitters and several sections of mainline tubing in a short period.

DETECTION

Signs of irrigation damage include plants wilting despite an active irrigation schedule, unusually wet spots appearing between irrigation cycles, and fresh gopher mounds near irrigation valve boxes or along drip line runs.

REPAIR AND PREVENTION

Repairing chewed irrigation lines without addressing the underlying gopher problem is a temporary fix. Gophers will return to the same tunnels and chew through new tubing. Remove the gophers first, then repair the irrigation.