Feds Predict Less Water For TriCities Irrigation This Summer. Tips For A Healthy Lawn

Some irrigators who depend on water from the Yakima River may not receive all of their water rights this summer, the Bureau of Reclamation predicts.

He says those with older or older water rights should get 100 percent of their right, while those with new water rights can only get 86 percent.

More than half of the reservoir's water rights are held by new water rights holders or those who have held rights since May 1905.

Kennewick Irrigation District meets new water rights holders, but receives irrigation water that returns to the Yakima River, downstream of the Parker Gage between Union Gap and Prosser Dam.

Historically, it has received slightly more water than the percentage available to new water rights holders.

The amounts are expected to be adjusted this year, said Seth Defoe, KID's land and water resources manager. Some restrictions on young people's water rights are not unusual, he said.

But KID members need to be mindful of water use and save when they can, Defoe said.

According to the Bureau of Reclamation, the snowpack that will feed the Yakima River melt contains 99 percent of the average amount.

But storage at the five Yakima projects in Washington's Cascade Mountains was more than half full on May 1, 76 percent of average, according to the Bureau of Reclamation.

The precipitation in April was 112% of the average, but from October to April the precipitation was only 75% of the average.

The Bureau of Reclamation provides water supply forecasts based on river and stream flows, precipitation, snowmelt, and reservoir storage, along with estimates of future precipitation, river flows, and irrigation yields.

Weather and flow timing can change the amount of water available for irrigation in the coming months.

KID monitors weather patterns after three years of La Niña.

La Niña conditions typically mean cooler, wetter weather, which has been a strong pattern for the first two of these three years.

But now El Nino conditions are possible from May to July, which could mean warmer and drier conditions.

Save water for irrigation

To save irrigation water and get better results from watering your lawn and garden this summer, KID offers the following tips:

▪ Train your grass to withstand drought with deep roots, only on the third day, but for a longer period. Practice ground information is posted at bit.ly/3nxkjto.

▪ Use drip irrigation where possible. Watering slowly and sparingly directly at the base of the plant can save 50-70% of the manure. Drift, airflow and evaporation are also minimized in this way.

▪ Use a watering can or hose with a shut-off valve or sprayer for watering.

▪ Let the grass grow a little longer before you mow. The long blades block the sun, which suffocates grass roots and conserves moisture.

▪ Use a layer of organic mulch on the seedbed surface to reduce the growth of weeds that compete for water.

▪ Grass cut Return to the lawn or use in the garden. Milkweeds add moisture and nutrients to the garden because they require less water.

▪ Turn off sprinklers during rain or storms.

▪ Check sprinklers to make sure they are not watering streets and sidewalks.

American farms waste a lot of water, but this technology can help