City’s watering example lacking

Kudos to the city of Spokane for offering installation incentives for Smart Controls water and moisture sensors.

As stated on the city’s website, “Protecting and preserving our water resources is a long-term goal of the City and is part of our sustainability efforts. The City’s Water Department also must meet water conservation goals as part of its regulatory requirements.”

Ironically, as I ran in the rain through Manito Park Thursday morning, the sprinklers in the park were on, though puddles were deep and the ground soggy from two days of fairly heavy rain. As the sprinklers in at least Manito Park are manual, not automatic, the Smart Control system the city is subsidizing for city residents may not be appropriate, however digital soil moisture meters are available for manual watering systems.

I hope the city of Spokane will lead water conservation efforts by example, supporting and empowering park personnel to make adjustments to watering based on need rather than schedule.

Julia Goltz

Spokane