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Pasco hears proposed water-use efficiency goals aiming to cut average household use 10% over 10 years
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Summary
Consultant Ryan Withers presented a draft potable water use efficiency element recommending a target to reduce average residential water use from about 330 to 300 gallons per day and options to continue conservation education; council and public asked about enforcement, tiered rates and storage options.
Ryan Withers, a consultant with RH2 Engineering, told the Pasco City Council at the March 9 workshop that the draft water use efficiency element for the city's potable system is intended as a 10-year road map to preserve treatment capacity and slow demand growth.
"This will be the first of multiple presentations on this topic this year," Withers said, and outlined trends showing summertime monthly potable demand peaking near 800,000,000 gallons and annual potable use rising from roughly 4.5 billion gallons in 2008 to about 5.5 billion gallons today. He highlighted that average household demand has fallen from about 470 gallons per day (gpd) in 2008 to roughly 330 gpd now.
Withers presented recommended conservation measures and goals, including continued customer education, retention of low-flow fixture giveaways, automated billing alerts for suspected leaks and a voluntary lawn-watering calendar. On goals, he proposed lowering average residential demand from 330 gpd to 300 gpd over the next decade, which he said would yield about 2,000,000 gallons per day in systemwide savings by 2036. For distribution leakage he recommended aligning with the state standard of 10 percent or less; Pasco's three-year rolling average was about 7.9 percent as of 2024.
Council members asked several technical and policy questions. Council Member Perales pressed why the consultant did not recommend a mandatory watering schedule, and Withers answered that mandatory rules are effective only if the city has resources to enforce them and can create neighborhood conflict. On tiered water rates, Withers cited equity concerns, saying higher surcharges can disproportionately affect lower-income households and that parts of the city rely on potable water for outdoor irrigation because they lack access to alternative irrigation systems.
On storage, Council Member Connor asked whether Pasco could bank water in the off season for use in summer. Withers said aquifer storage recovery is technically possible and Kennewick operates an ASR system, but cautioned it adds treatment and pumping costs because stored water must meet drinking water standards both before and after storage.
During public comment, Colin Hastings of the Pasco Chamber of Commerce suggested the council examine institutional irrigation practices, noting his recollection that a local high school uses potable water for irrigation. Tara Calvert, district manager for the Franklin Conservation District, described long-running school conservation programs and a heritage garden program with a waiting list; realtor Katie Copeland urged continued xeriscape and coordination with developers on landscape standards.
The presentation is the first of multiple forums planned this year; Withers and staff said the draft will be revised after public feedback and a separate public forum is expected before the council considers formal adoption of the element.
