More water conservation work to come in Moses Lake

MOSES LAKE — Conservation measures have saved the city of Moses Lake a lot of water over the last two years, but not as much as the city has lost through system leaks. City officials will be working in 2025 to identify leaks and address them. 

Mayor Dustin Swartz said finding leaks is a priority.  

“We should be getting to the bottom of that with urgency,” he said.  

Moses Lake City Council members reviewed municipal water conservation regulations at the regular meeting Tuesday. Public Works Director Brian Baltzell said the data showed that water use had decreased a lot since the conservation regulations were implemented in 2023.  

“In 2023, when this was originally established, we were able to save 96.9 million gallons of water,” Baltzell said. “That was a huge start off for conserving our water. In 2024 there was an additional 34.84 million gallons of water saved. That was when we implemented smart meters and conservation education.”  

However, in answer to a question from council member David Skaug, Baltzell said the city’s water system is losing more than that. City officials have estimated how much, but Baltzell did not have that estimate.  

City officials plan to hire a consultant to work on finding out where those leaks are. Swartz asked if city officials have identified the areas that are the most likely sources. 

“There is money budgeted for leak detection,” Baltzell said. 

The city’s upgraded water meters do help with finding leaks in the system, he said. 

“An allotment of water that flows through the meter for a certain time will automatically create a (notification), so we know there’s a leak there,” he said. 

The conservation regulations restrict water use for things like lawns year-round, which is a change from the policy implemented in 2023. All customers are prohibited from watering on Monday and watering is restricted to certain days of the week depending on the address. 

Houses with odd-number addresses water Sunday, Wednesday and Friday. Houses with addresses that are even numbers water Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Watering is prohibited between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. 

Exemptions are allowed for vegetable gardens and newly planted landscapes. 

The city’s code enforcement officer can issue warnings. Baltzell said.  

“We also have the water conservation technician that we’ve hired,” he said. “She’s out every day, monitoring, following up on cases that we can codify this on. A lot of education. Code enforcement does have a piece, especially if a violation is to the point where it’s being issued.” 

Three city parks that use potable water for irrigation are in the process of being switched to other sources.  

“One of our main focuses (in 2024) was to get Larson Playfield off potable water and on to a new well that we have finished,” Baltzell said. 

The last step in that process will be hooking the playfield water system up to the new well, which is scheduled for completion next month.   

Baltzell estimated switching the playfields would reduce potable water use by about 14 million gallons per year.  

Two more parks are scheduled for alternate water sources in 2025. Dick Deane Family Historic Park will be hooked up to the water source in the Japanese Peace Garden. It too is scheduled for completion in March or April. Marina Park on Marina needs an electrical connection, and that’s still pending, Baltzell said.