MOSES LAKE — The months of July and August are now mandatory water conservation months in Moses Lake.

The new measure, which was passed by the Moses Lake City Council Tuesday night in a 6-1 vote, with councilmember Don Myers casting the no vote, dictates that during July and August addresses with odd numbers are permitted to irrigate and wash vehicles on odd-numbered days. Addresses with even numbers are allowed to irrigate and wash vehicles on even-numbered days. Locations with irrigation meters 2 inches and larger would only be allowed to irrigate from midnight to 8 a.m., or on a set schedule that has been approved by the city.

“July and August are our hottest months and water usage soars during this time. It is directly attributed to the watering of yards and green spaces and we are trying to educate the public and curtail excessive water use, or misuse,” Municipal Services Director Fred Snoderly explained.

A similar emergency watering schedule was put into place last summer after the city’s pumping rate and consumption hit over 17 million gallons a day, which caused downtime and one of the city’s wells to start pumping air. About five days after last summer’s schedule was put into place the city dropped over 2.5 millions gallons of water usage a day. City Manager John Williams said the city has to maintain certain water levels for fire protection.

“It’s the fact of giving the aquifer a break in order to recharge, it’s getting the equipment a break so it doesn’t break down,” Williams explained. “We have ample water supply in there. It’s just that the heaviest used months are typically July and August, they are usually our warmest, and so having everybody running all the water 24/7, that has taxed the system a bit.”

The ordinance lays out a tiered penalty schedule for residents who violate the measure. A first offense will result in a warning, a second results in a not less than $100 penalty, a third results in a not less than $200 penalty and all other violations will bring about a penalty not less than $500. The new water conservation ordinance will go into effect July 7. The ordinance is the first step of a process, as the city will be analyzing its residential water rates in the future.

Richard Byrd can be reached via email at city@columbiabasinherald.com.