Stop the water now
- Controller off. Set the timer to Off. If the flooding stops, the leak only happens while that zone runs.
- Close the irrigation shutoff. If water still runs with the controller off, a valve is stuck open or the always-pressurized main line has broken. Close the shutoff for the sprinkler system.
- Can’t find it? Close the main shutoff for the house.
- Well water? Turn the pump off at its breaker.
- Call. Give us your address and a quick description, and send a photo if you can.
Selma: what to know about leaks
Cal Water’s Selma District asks customers to avoid runoff, and a broken line or a stuck valve puts water in the gutter until someone shuts it off.
After the water is off
With the water stopped, reach us at (559) 203-7881 by call or text. Give us the address in Selma, what broke and what you shut off, and we’ll get you on the schedule as fast as we can. Our Fresno location is open Sunday through Thursday 5 AM–9 PM and Friday 5 AM–6 PM, and closed Saturday. We serve Selma from there, about 18.2 miles away.
If you reach voicemail, leave your address and what is happening, and we will call you back as soon as we can. Once the water is off, a broken line can usually wait for a scheduled repair without more damage.
Main line or zone line? Why it matters
Your sprinkler main line runs from the water supply to the valves and is under pressure all the time. When it breaks, water runs nonstop until someone shuts it off. The zone lines after each valve only hold water while that zone runs, so a break there floods only during its cycle.
That is why the first step is the controller. If turning it off stops the water, the break is on a zone line. If it doesn’t, it is the main line or a valve stuck open.
Zone stuck on?
When a zone won’t stop, the valve is the usual culprit: grit under the diaphragm, a tear in it, or a solenoid that won’t seat. Some valves have a flow-control handle on top; turning it fully clockwise can shut the zone. If not, close the sprinkler shutoff and leave it closed until the valve is repaired.
Our valve won’t shut off guide walks through it.
Selma at a glance
Selma shares the Fresno area’s semi-arid San Joaquin Valley climate, with long, hot, dry summers, mild winters and about 11 inches of rain a year, so sprinklers carry most of the watering load.
Selma had 24,674 residents at the 2020 census and sits at about 308 feet above sea level. Incorporated on March 15, 1893.
The 2020 census counted 7,224 housing units in Selma, and about 55.7% of occupied homes are owner-occupied. That works out to about 1,244 housing units per square mile.
Selma’s early growth leaned on irrigation: a water-driven mill was powered by the C&K Canal, a seasonal irrigation channel known locally as the Mill Ditch.
How we fix it
The repair itself is usually straightforward once the water is off: find the exact spot, dig the minimum, splice in new pipe and fittings, or service the valve that stuck. We finish by running the whole system. See sprinkler pipe repair in Selma and valve repair in Selma.
Nearby communities
Nearby: Emergency sprinkler repair in Parlier (5.5 mi), Emergency sprinkler repair in Fowler (5.9 mi), Emergency sprinkler repair in Del Rey (6.2 mi). Distances are straight-line from the center of Selma.
Water in Selma
Selma is in Cal Water’s Selma District.
Cal Water’s Selma District is in Stage 1. Customers are not limited to specific watering days, but outdoor watering is prohibited from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Avoid runoff, do not water within 48 hours of measurable rain, and use a shut-off nozzle on any hose.
See the full Selma watering schedule.
Written by ACRE Landscape Inc, Fresno & Clovis. Updated October 30, 2026.