Watching water: Moses Lake conservation measures extended through September

MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake City Council voted Tuesday to extend the city’s conservation measures permanently from the beginning of June to the end of September.

The ordinance, which takes effect immediately, states property owners with odd-numbered addresses can water on odd-numbered calendar days, and property owners with even-numbered addresses can water on even-numbered calendar days.

After an initial warning to violators, the city will charge a $100 fine for a second violation and $200 for a third.

In the winter, Moses Lake residents typically use 4-5 million gallons of water a day, said Chad Stevy, water services manager. In the spring, that number becomes 6-7 million.

The summer, however, averages 15-16 million gallons a day, mostly going on grass. Anything higher than that is very taxing to the system, he said.

Daily usage is pretty closely tied with temperature, he said. The hotter the day, the more water is used.

On June 30, Moses Lake used 20.5 million gallons of water, which is significantly higher than previous years, he said.

The heat wave, with a 116-degree high, was especially taxing, he said.

“Every well ran for approximately 48 hours, two days straight, they did not shut off at all,” he said.

Any time the temperature rises above 95 degrees for a lasting period, it pushes the limits of the water system, he said. At times, there are breaks and wells are down, and it is very difficult to keep up.

“When you’re looking at our total usage versus other communities our size in this region, you compare Ellensburg, Tri-Cities, some of that area, Wenatchee, we outpace them almost double in water usage,” he said.

Granted, some other cities have irrigation systems and are not using treated city water for lawns, he said. Moses Lake also typically sees less rain than those communities.

“We live in a high desert, and we have some beautiful green lawns, and I think that’s a total waste, personally,” said Moses Lake City Council member Dean Hankins, “although I have a beautiful green lawn, also.”

Creating an incentive program for natural lawns that match the landscape and require less water would be beneficial, he said.

Education is also an important step, he said. A lot of people water their lawns at the wrong times and use way too much water.

There are some partnerships in development with the Moses Lake Watershed Council and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, said City Manager Allison Williams. Some creative long-term solutions could come from this down the road, such as different water sources for different purposes.

Sam Fletcher can be reached at sfletcher@columbiabasinherald.com.