After much consultation, it says, with its water rights attorneys and the water and sewer department, the City of Bellevue will be implementing some changes to lawn irrigation policies. And if you have a knack for numbers, you might be able to keep track of it all.
Currently, the city implements an even-odd watering schedule that starts mid-May when the weather heats up and runoff flows start to dry up. But now, effective June 15, the city will do even-odd watering “but with a twist,” a note to residents says.
The twist? Splitting the city in half at Elm Street and allowing the night owls of the north side to water only from 8 p.m. to 3 a.m. and the early birds of the south side to water only from 3 a.m. to 10 a.m.
Odd house numbers will still water on odd days of the week, even house numbers will still water on even days of the week based on the calendar. Most irrigation timers have a function to allow for even-odd watering, but if a resident has any difficulty in getting this switched on, the city will come by to help get timed watering scheduled correctly. The city said it has the authority to do this under Bellevue Ordinance 2016-01.
By implementing these new changes, the city says it will successfully do two things:
- Curtail water consumption
- Be well prepared for next year when the city switches to a consumption-based pricing model as opposed to the flat-rate price now being used.
“This should make approximately no more than 25% of the town irrigating at any given time, which should keep us only relying on our spring water and not require the boost from the wells,” the city letter explained. “With the severe drought we are experiencing, the city is at serious risk of curtailment of our well water rights. If we do not implement strict usage timeframes, we will very likely have to cut off irrigation for yards altogether. There are currently some lawsuits playing out just south of us with groundwater users in the Bellevue Triangle, and we are at risk of getting roped into these lawsuits as well.”