A screen intake system has a body with an open end and a chamber. A flat screen is disposed at the open end of the body. To keep the screen clear of debris, an airburst system has pipes disposed in the chamber. The pipes dispose parallel to one another adjacent the flat screen, and each of the pipes has orifices in a side facing the flat screen. Directors are disposed along the backs of the pipes in a lattice, and each of the directors has a channel in which the pipe disposes. Compressed air released by valves from a tank dispersed from the pipe's orifices. Each of the directors directs the resulting water/airburst from the orifices toward the adjacent flat screen to clear it of debris.