For the first time ever, Turlock Irrigation District growers don't have to reach for their phones to check irrigation water usage.

Instead, irrigators can find the information with a click of the mouse, thanks to a new TID website feature.

“It works really well,” TID Water Distribution Department Manager Mike Kavarian said. “We've been using it quite a bit.”

The site displays the amount of water each parcel has used and remaining in three measurements: acre-feet, inches, and hours. All water levels are broken down into various cost tiers for growers.

Historical water usage information, including dates, times, and length of orders, is available dating back to 2000.

“They have 13 years of data on the website,” Kavarian said.

To use the site, growers simply create an account, then input their parcel numbers. Parcels are then linked to a username, with no need to type the number in each time.

Previously, growers were required to phone the TID call center to check water usage.

The website was developed by TID's in-house information technology department in about three weeks, Kavarian said. The programming piggybacks on software developed for an online irrigation water ordering system that was tested several years ago, but ultimately discontinued.

To view TID irrigation water usage online, click on the “Water” tab at the top of TID's homepage, then click on “Irrigation,” then “Water Usage,” or visit https://waterrequest.tid.org/.