Do I need to locate utilities before digging up an irrigation pipe?

Yes. Irrigation pipe often shares ground with gas, electric and communication lines. The City of Peoria's own leak guidance says irrigation leaks usually require digging and to always know what is below through Arizona 811 first. Expose the pipe by hand once lines are marked, and only as much as needed.

Why do irrigation pipes break?

The usual causes are age, digging and construction nearby, defective materials and fittings that were never glued or set properly. A good repair cuts back to sound pipe, uses matching fittings and lets joints set before the water goes back on.

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Mainline or lateral decides how the break behaves

Irrigation pipe comes in two kinds of run. The mainline carries water from the supply to the valves and stays under pressure all the time, so a break there leaks around the clock and can soften a large patch or wash out under a walkway. Laterals carry water from each valve to its heads and hold pressure only while that station runs, so a lateral break shows up as a gusher or a soggy strip during one zone's cycle.

The City of Peoria lists the clues that usually lead to a pipe repair: a patch greener or wetter than its surroundings, pooling, and bubbles in the grass where water is trapped underneath. On its own mains, the Peoria Water FAQ names older pipes, nearby construction, defective materials and poor workmanship as the usual causes of breaks, and the same causes show up on yard lines, along with fittings that were never glued or set properly.

Shut it off, locate what is buried, then repair

The water comes off first. For a lateral, the zone simply stays off. For a mainline, the irrigation supply is closed at its isolation valve or, following Peoria's advice for a valve that will not stop, at the backflow device. If the break sits between the meter and that device, or the water cannot be stopped, the city lists its water leaks line and an after-hours water emergency line for its customers.

Before digging, Peoria's leak guidance is to know what is below through Arizona 811, since gas, power and cable can share the trench line. The break is exposed by hand, the damaged section is cut back to sound pipe and replaced with matching pipe and fittings or a repair coupling, and solvent-welded joints are given time to set before pressure returns. The line is pressurized and watched before the hole is closed, then backfilled so the pipe is supported, and every station on the run is tested. Finding the break first is covered under irrigation leak detection.

Source: City of Peoria, Water Conservation, Checked Oct 1, 2026