When people look at federal appropriations for construction or maintenance projects they don’t understand, they begin to question the necessity of those projects. The case for this blog is one of converting open irrigation channels into piped irrigation lines. If you live in the eastern half of the country, where water is much more readily available, you might look at your tax dollars going to enclose a perfectly good channel or ditch and wonder if it’s worth it. Let's take a closer look at just how important enclosing a canal may be.