Moses Lake staff review year‑round irrigation rules, park meter conversions and smart‑meter savings

City staff presented a review of Moses Lake’s water conservation rules and recent work to move park irrigation off the potable system.

City staff member Brian Botzel told the council the city’s irrigation schedule (Moses Lake Municipal Code 13.070.01) now prohibits watering on Mondays, allows even addresses to irrigate Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday and odd addresses Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, and bans irrigation between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. Botzel said the change moves the city from seasonal (June–September) odd/even watering to a year‑round schedule with the stated hours of prohibition.

The change does not remove temporary allowances for newly installed sod or turf to establish themselves, and the city will issue written warnings for first violations with code enforcement stepping in for repeat or severe violations, Botzel said. He described ongoing education and follow‑up by a water conservation technician and said Beacon/smart meters generate cases when customers irrigate on prohibited days or between restricted hours.

Why it matters: the city attributed measurable reductions in meter‑recorded consumption to the combination of the schedule, outreach and smart‑meter rollout. Botzel reported that in 2023 the conservation program saved 96,900,000 gallons of metered consumption and that an additional 34,500,000 gallons were saved in 2024 after starting smart‑meter installations and targeted education — a 7.8% reduction in metered consumption between 2023 and 2024, he said.

Parks and nonpotable hookups: Botzel told council that most city parks already use nonpotable sources (lake water, shallow wells, springs). He said work completed late last year moved Larson Playfield irrigation from the potable system to a new shallow well; that conversion, he said, will save roughly 14,000,000 gallons per calendar year once the irrigation line is connected later this spring. Marina Park and Dean Park remain targeted for conversion but await utility hookups: Dean Park needs a final hookup and Marina Park is waiting for power from the public utility district, Botzel said.

Enforcement, meters and leaks: Council members asked detailed questions about enforcement, how the conservation technician coordinates with code enforcement, and whether meter figures represent production or metered consumption. Staff clarified the presented graph reflects metered consumption, not total system production. Botzel and council members discussed work to detect and repair distribution leaks; staff said a contractor‑led survey for systemwide leak detection is budgeted and estimated an order‑of‑magnitude budget line for leak detection work (staff roughly referenced $70,000) and said staff will follow up with detailed numbers.

Smart‑meter rollout and customer app: council members asked about customer uptake of the meter app and analytics. Botzel said the city began installing smart meters about a year ago; parks have been converted to the new meters and the system will automatically create cases when unusual sustained flows indicate leaks. Staff said Jessica (water program staff) maintains analytics and that the city will provide download and usage analytics on request. Council members suggested user‑satisfaction surveys and additional outreach to increase app adoption.

What the council directed: council asked staff for follow‑up on (1) a breakdown of the leak/loss figures and how those compare to targets, (2) a status update and reimbursement timeline for the Larson Playfield grant reimbursement from the state Department of Commerce, and (3) installation and power timelines for Marina Park and Dean Park. Staff committed to provide those details at a future date.