Water conservation is working

By on Thursday, January 12th, 2023 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories

HERMISTON โ€“ Conserving water has long been recognized as an important part of ensuring ample water supplies into the future. Hermiston Assistant City Manager Mark Morgan says the city began encouraging conservation in 2018, and itโ€™s paying off.

โ€œFrom 2018 to 2022, the average customer is using about 23 percent less water,โ€ he said.

Morgan said city officials are watching usage go down even as Hermiston continues to grow.

โ€œDuring that time, weโ€™ve also added about 500 accounts,โ€ he said. โ€œSo weโ€™ve seen an overall reduction in the total amount of water weโ€™re using while weโ€™ve added additional customers.โ€

Conservation has put the city in a healthy position for the next five to 10 years, which buys Hermiston some time before it has to pursue more costly water supply options.