SPOKANE, WASH. — One week after Spokane announced Level Two water restrictions as part of its drought response, residents have taken to social media questioning why the city continues to water lawns at parks and schools while asking residents to reduce their own water usage.
The city’s Parks and Recreation Department says it maintains green spaces using an upgraded, efficient automatic water irrigation system designed to provide only the water that turf and plant material actually need.
Some of the city’s parks still operate irrigation systems installed in the 1930s, while others have been upgraded to use efficient automatic water irrigation systems.
“We’re not adding any extra irrigation water that is in excess that that turf or plant material needs,” said Garrett Jones, director of city of Spokane Parks and Recreation.
The city also makes it a point to water the lawns when it’s cool out and watering will be most effective.
Parks and Recreation makes up only 3% of the entire water consumption across the city, and the department uses the same water supply available to all residents. The city is working to upgrade its sprinkler systems from manual irrigation to automatic water-saving systems citywide.
“We want to make sure that the public and we hear from the public that they have adequate green spaces to be able to have leisure activities and recreate in,” said Garrett Jones, director of city of Spokane Parks and Recreation.
Officials say they’re working on projects with other departments to improve water-saving efforts in the future.
The Koi Pond in Manito Park is one of several places where the city has these water-efficient systems. City officials say maintaining these parks is essential to keeping them open to the public while also saving time and money in the long run.
“If we did not water these assets, those assets would die and we’d have to replace. And that would even be more budgetary waste on long term for us,” Jones said.
The city reports that parks and golf courses with upgraded irrigation systems have saved over 70 million gallons of water every year. In just the Koi pond alone, 21 million gallons of water are saved each year from the conservation projects with pond pump upgrades, new UV filters, new recirculating jets and other additions. The city’s approach reflects a broader strategy to balance public access to green spaces with drought conservation efforts during the water restrictions.
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