Spokane urges residents to water lawns less as river diminishes for the summer

Spokane city officials are once again urging residents to limit how much water they use for their lawns as Spokane River levels drop and moderate drought takes hold in the region.

Level 2 drought response measures have taken effect for the third year in a row, triggered as water flows through the Spokane River have dropped below 1,000 cubic feet per second, meaning residents are supposed to limit watering their lawns to no more than two hours per day, two days per week. Watering must be done between 6 p.m. and 10 a.m. to limit excessive evaporation during the daytime.

Level 1 drought response measures kick in every year from June 1 to Oct. 1, which limits watering to four times a week, for no more than two hours per day and also only between 6 p.m. and 10 a.m.

There are several exemptions to the restrictions, including for watering gardens or trees, newly planted landscaping or other plants that need to be established.

Residents in wildland-urban interface areas, where the city butts up against natural areas, are allowed to water more in order to mitigate fire risks. While this doesn’t include much of the city along its major thoroughfares, significant portions of the city do qualify under the state’s criteria, including much of the West Plains and along Nine Miles Road, and around natural areas such as Beacon Hill and Glenrose. The state maintains a full map of wildland-urban interface areas.

Among the many recommended steps to mitigate wildifre risk in these areas, fire officials recommend creating a 30-foot “clean, green and lean” area around homes with a manicured yard or well-watered area, or 100 feet if the house is on a hillside.

The drought response measures were implemented by the Spokane City Council in 2022 and have taken effect in 2023 and 2024.

There are no penalties for noncompliance and no immediate plans to implement an enforcement mechanism, noted city Public Works spokeswoman Kirstin Davis. But a lack of voluntary compliance can strain the city’s taxpayer-funded infrastructure that delivers water during the months when the least water is available.

The entirety of Spokane County is experiencing at least moderate drought, and the eastern half of the county entered a “severe drought” this week, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.

The Spokane River has dropped below 1,000 cubic feet per second almost every year since 2000, typically by late August, bottoming out between 600 and 900 cubic feet per second. Water levels tend to rebound above that threshold in September.