Water conservation at Metro Parks Tacoma

You may have read about Tacoma Water’s activation of the first phase of its Water Shortage Response Plan. Stage 1 is an advisory that warns customers of a potential water supply problem and asks for help in conserving water. You can read more about it by clicking here. Local news media also have covered the story.

Fortunately, Metro Parks Tacoma has had “best management practices” in place for years. As you might expect, conservation in general is important to Metro Parks.

“We’re environmentally conscious,” said Marina Becker, director of Parks & Natural Resources. “Water is a limited resource, and we need to manage it wisely.”

Across the district, you’ll find computerized irrigation systems and thoughtful approaches to water management that balance conservation with the need to maintain a high level of service for residents. Most of the district’s ever-popular spraygrounds recycle their water, and low-water showers and toilets have been installed in many facilities. Parks serve as an important urban oasis, especially for those of you who don’t have lawns or have cut back this summer and watched your grass go dormant. So, we’ve done our best to maintain your parks through an efficient use of resources.

That said, after Tacoma Water issued its advisory we adjusted watering hours at some of our parks with older systems, such as Wright Park and Heidelberg Davis Park. These systems have limited capacity, so we had been watering those parks longer than others, including after 8 a.m., to keep the parks more enjoyable for you. Now that Tacoma Water asks that no watering take place between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m., we will comply with the request. The turf will still be playable and safe this summer, but you will notice a difference in some parks.

Specialty gardens such as the Rose Garden at Point Defiance Park typically use more efficient garden watering systems, such as drip lines, though some hand-watering and exceptions will be made to maintain plant health. And we’re asking certain park groups — boaters, community gardeners and volunteers — to help conserve by following practices specific to the sites where they operate.

Parks staff will continue to monitor conditions and work with Tacoma Water. We’ll stay in contact with you if conditions change.

Please help us: If you notice leaks, broken sprinkler heads or other maintenance issues, please contact Joey Furuto, community and neighborhood parks manager, at 305-1051. We’re in this together.