60 Years of Dippy Duck, Decades of Impact: IID Declares May as “Water Safety Month”

Beloved mascot Dippy Duck celebrates his 60th birthday this summer, promoting the message to stay away from canals, recognizing decades of success.

For more than six decades, the Imperial Irrigation District (IID) has delivered a life-saving message to the community, one that generations have come to recognize through its beloved mascot, Dippy Duck.

As Dippy Duck celebrates his 60th birthday this year, the program stands as a powerful symbol of IID’s commitment to keeping families safe around canals.

In recognition of this enduring impact, the District’s Board of Directors today proclaimed the month of May as Water Safety Month.

For 67 years (since 1959), IID has effectively connected the water safety message with the community, beginning with elementary school outreach and, in 1966, further strengthening the effort through the creation of our cherished mascot Dippy Duck.

The water safety campaign aims to help build a “psychological fence,” underscoring that staying away from canals is the safest choice. Today, outreach extends to teens and adults through community-based efforts and, over the course of the campaign, has significantly helped reduce canal drownings.

“We truly love our communities, our friends, our neighbors, our children, and our partners who support this successful awareness campaign, which really does make a difference,” said IID Board Chairwoman Karin Eugenio. “We are very proud to reach this special milestone, and we wish Dippy Duck a very happy birthday and want you to celebrate with us.”

This year, the program will reach about 21,000 school children through onsite school presentations, which began in April and will continue through early June, in addition to summer program outreach, reminding everyone of Dippy Duck’s three rules:

1. Never swim in a canal
2. Never play, run, walk, or ride a bicycle near a canal
3. Never jump into a canal

In addition, as part of IID’s ongoing awareness efforts, the District will provide grant funding to support local cities and special districts in keeping pools open and expanding access to safe water activities throughout the summer. These efforts help ensure families have safe, supervised options to cool off while reinforcing the importance of staying away from canals.

IID manages more than 3,100 miles of canals and drains across the Imperial Valley, critical infrastructure that delivers water to support agriculture and the region’s economy. However, canals are not designed for recreation. Many canal gates are operated remotely, causing water levels and flows to change suddenly without warning, making canals especially dangerous.