Did You Swim in the Irrigation Ditch As a Kid in Boise?

I saw a post in the Boise Bench Dwellers Facebook page. It seems from a majority of responses that it was a past time for a lot of people. Did you swim in the irrigation ditch as a kid?

This person posted that it was gross that kids were swimming in the dirty irrigation canal behind Borah. Many people jumped on there to defend the kids and tell her it isn't "gross" at all. Many people did and do it. Although I am not sure they know the dangers of doing this. In all honestly back in the day this wasn't a worry and we didn't know as much as we know now.

Some folks did remind folks of the dangers not only of the fact that water is being sucked out of the canals but that they hold a lot of trash and debris. There are dangers everywhere we turn so I am not sure how you feel about kids swimming in the irrigation canals?

I was reading a story on the Idahopress.com site and it talks about how unsafe canals and ditches can be. It stated that : Canals have grates, culverts, spillways and in-water energy dissipation devices. If a person were to fall into a water-filled ditch or canal, additional hazards include becoming caught up in or striking an object or structure. This may cause someone to become submerged.