Kennewick Irrigation District makes decision on mandatory watering restrictions

A mandatory water schedule for Kennewick Irrigation District residential users will lift Sunday, but customers are asked to continue to follow a voluntary schedule , KID announced Wednesday.

Residential users have been restricted to a mandatory schedule since July 7 that allowed running sprinklers 20 minutes per zone mornings or evenings three days a week on a schedule based on the last digit of house numbers, with a voluntary schedule in place before that.

The district had not had a mandatory watering schedule since the drought of 2015, when water was limited for most of the summer.

Enough people complied with the mandatory schedule this season — in addition to steps KID took to manage its water — to allow the mandatory restriction to be lifted, said Matthew Berglund, KID spokesperson.

Other KID water users, including farmers, also have had restrictions.

“We are incredibly grateful for the cooperation and water-saving efforts of our community during this challenging drought period,” said Shane Leonard, KID district manager.

Adhering to the schedule was instrumental in ensuring a reliable water supply for all customers, he said.

KID water demand was significantly reduced by the schedule, plus the district’s work to line canals and widen the main canal, which allows it to be used as additional water storage, according to KID.

During low water years canals carry less water. If everyone waters their lawns at the same time, which usually happens in the morning, it creates a surge in demand that can quickly deplete canal levels, KID says.

Spreading out watering helps maintain consistent pressure and ensures everyone has access to they water they need, it says.

The region remains in a drought, so KID continues to ask people to adhere voluntarily to the mandatory water schedule. Drip irrigation system and water with hoses is not affected by the watering schedule.

Drought, water outlook

Most of Benton and Franklin counties are rated as “abnormally dry,” but parts of the Cascade Mountains of central Washington that feed the Yakima River system are rated by the U.S. Drought Monitor as being in moderate to severe drought.

More hot weather is forecast for the Tri-Cities, with temperatures near or above 100 degrees from Thursday through at least Wednesday. The high Friday could be 108, according to the National Weather Service, which has issued an excessive heat warning for Thursday and Friday.

But typically in mid August the water level in the Yakima River, the source of the KID water, goes up as agriculture demand for water drops, Berglund said.

When the mandatory restrictions were announced, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation had announced that the Yakima River would not be able to meet irrigation demand for the 2024 season. As of June 10 it said those with junior water rights to the Yakima River would receive just 47% of their full entitlement of water.

KID is grouped with junior water right holders, but it gets the irrigation water that returns to the Yakima River between the Parker Gauge downriver from Union Gap and the Prosser Dam. Historically, it has gotten a little more water than the percentage available for holders of junior water rights.

KID does not have water rights to use the Columbia River, which it sits above.

Instead, it has been lining and widening its main canal with the intention of building a 12,000-acre-foot reservoir.

It would be roughly the size of the water between the cable and blue bridges, the district posted on social media in response to questions.

Residents also have been asking if their irrigation bills will go down because less water is available.

The answer is no.

Billing is more like a property tax, with irrigation assessments based on the size of property, the district said on social media.

Customers with questions may call KID at 509-586-9111. To see the voluntary watering schedule, go to kid.org/your-kid/drought-information .