Water conservation tips for the week of July 25, 2025, are now available. Facts and tips on water usage and conservation are presented weekly by the City of Walla Walla, in partnership with Walla Walla Community College and the Union Bulletin, during the months of May - September.

Precipitation and Moisture

• Last July: . 00 inches for the month
• This July so far:  .04 inches

Chinook salmon and steelhead return numbers

• Fish numbers in the Walla Walla River counted at Nursery Street Bridge in Milton-Freewater, as of July 17, 2025, are: Spring Chinook, 910; Steelhead, 380.
• Data collected by The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation Department of Natural Resources; funding provided by Bonneville Power Administration.

Water Usage

• This week’s average water use by all city customers: 15.47 million gallons per day.
• Fourth week of July 2024 average water use:  15.98 million gallons per day.

Water Use Guidelines

• For the week of July 18 – July 25 precipitation was 0.04 inches and turf grass in the area used 1.55 inches of moisture, according to WSU AgWeatherNet data. Home irrigators should have run spray type sprinklers 5 times for 12 minutes and rotor type sprinklers 5 times for 46 minutes. Calculations are based on average precipitation rates at the Walla Walla Community College weather station, please adjust for local conditions.

Yard Care and Water Savings Tips
Try some of these tips to get rid of those ugly weeds without jeopardizing your health or the natural ecosystem of the earth. Your lawn, garden and flowers will thank you.

• Vinegar – Vinegar contains acetic acid which is a desiccant that literally sucks the life right out of the leaves of plants. It works best on young, immature plants like thistle or pennywort.  Be sure to cover anything desirable prior to spraying since vinegar doesn’t discriminate against what it kills. In order to spray only the weeds and nothing else, cut out the bottom of a 2-liter plastic bottle and simply place it over the weed. Spray the vinegar directly into the top of the bottle, which keeps it from splashing on your vegetables or flowers.  
• Newspaper – Newspaper works like a carpet to block oxygen and sunlight from penetrating the soil to kill the weeds. Eventually, it will smother them and prevent new weeds from popping up. Lay down about 8 to 10 sheets of newspaper, just wet enough to hold them down, and use a few inches of mulch to cover. If you notice any weeds growing through the mulch, just add more layers making a sandwich out of the mulch and newspaper. Eventually, it will naturally decompose and nurture the soil. 
• Boiling Water – Upon drinking your morning tea, take your tea kettle outdoors and pour the remaining hot boiling water on the weeds, which will instantly burn. This is a great way to eliminate walkway and driveway weeds since the water can simply run off impermeable surfaces and cool down before it reaches any plants and shrubs. 

If you have any questions, please contact the Water Division at 509.527.4380.