1. Where does Moscow's water come from?
2. The current situation
3.  Why should you do anything?
4. What you can do

All of the water in Moscow comes from wells. Moscow sits on top of two aquifers, the Wamapum and Grande Ronde. Both of these aquifers are going down.

What is an Aquifer, Some people think that there are underground but this is incorrect. It is actually the water filled cracks in the bedrock. The water gets there by seeping down from the surface. There is no underground river that fills the aquifer. It depends mainly on spring runoff, the excess water moves down through the soil and into the aquifers.  Right now Moscow is using water faster then the Aquifer can replenish itself. Both Aquifers are going down at the rate of 1 foot per year

Eventually, the Aquifer will go dry but what can we do about it. Take a look at this graph.
 
 

As you can see, water use goes up greatly during the summer months. This is directly due to lawn watering. The problem is that most of the watering of lawns is unnecessary. The purpose of this site is to make the citizens of Moscow aware of the problem and give them tools to fight it.

The Current Situation

    Right now, the entire northwest is in a drought.  We only received about half of the snowfall in the mountains You may have heard in the news how the water behind the dams is way below normal.  The same is true for the water going into the aquifer.  Their is just not enough water going into it to replace what is taken out.  This makes it more important to conserve water then ever.

Why should you do this?
    Professional growers do not want to pay for extra water so they schedule their irrigation.  Their are many reasons for the average home owner to do this as well.  Some reasons are:
 

1. You have to pay for the extra water that was wasted.
2. The extra water carries the nutrients away from your grass roots
3. Ones your lawn is over watered, the excess water is wasted, it can not go directly back into the aquifer.
 

What you can do

    Their are many thing you as a homeowner can do to help conserve water.  One of the most important things you can do is to follow the irrigation scheduling of this site.  If you follow this guide and combine it with other good lawn care techniques, then your laws will look as green or greener then your neighbors.  Another way you can conserve water is to avoid watering during the hot part of the day.  Most of the water that you put on at this time evaporates off the surface of the ground and never gets into the soil to begin with.  Their is no point watering if it does not go into the soil.

 For a detailed explanation of irrigation techniques, please click here.