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 September: .68 inches for the month
This September so far: .38 inches

Chinook salmon and steelhead return numbers

Fish numbers in the Walla Walla River counted at Nursery Street Bridge in Milton-Freewater, as of September 18, 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: 10.12 million gallons per day.

Water Use Guidelines

For the week of Sept 12 – Sept 18 precipitation was 0.14 inches, and turf grass in the area used 0.75 inches of moisture, according to WSU AgWeatherNet data. Home irrigators should have run spray-type sprinklers 2 times for 12 minutes and rotor-type sprinklers 2 times for 45 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

• Check for leaks after first thaw - The changes in temperature between night and day during the winter cause pipes to expand and contract. This added stress means you’re more likely to develop a leak over the winter. 
• Make sure you know where the shut-off valve for your house is - Despite our best intentions, sometimes a pipe will still burst in the winter. The faster you can cut off that water, the less goes to waste. The shut-off valve is most likely in the attic, the basement, or the crawl space. It looks like a regular spigot but turning it off cuts off all of the water to your house.  It is important that all family members in the household know where the master water shut-off valve is located because if a pipe were to burst, this could save hundreds or thousands of gallons of water and prevent damage.
• Before the first freeze, give your lawn a thorough fertilizing to replace all the nutrients that can be lost from the soil during the hot summer months. Once the weather turns cold, the fertilizer will remain in the soil and feed your lawn’s roots all winter long.   When spring comes, your lawn will be full of healthy, lush, green grass that has been feeding on good fertilizer nutrients underneath the snow.

Additional Water Conservation Information

Contact the Water Division at 509.527.4380 if you have any questions.