News In the wake of a statewide drought emergency, Camas and Washougal city leaders are asking citizens to abide by a voluntary odd/even lawn and landscape watering program.
Watering should be done on odd calendar days for address numbers ending in an odd number, and even calendar days if an address ends in an even number.
Other water conservation suggestions from Camas officials include only washing full loads of laundry, turning off running water, taking shorter showers, eliminating leaks and installing low-flow fixtures.
In addition, Washougal city leaders recommend keeping a pitcher of drinking water in the refrigerator instead of running the tap, adjusting lawn mowers to the height of 1.5 to 2 inches and leaving clippings – they help hold moisture and reduce evaporation.Taller grass shades roots and holds soil moisture better than short grass.
Camas announced the conservation measure earlier this week, while Washougal joined the effort Friday.
On May 15, Gov. Jay Inslee declared a statewide drought for Washington. Snowpack is at historic lows, rivers are dwindling and irrigation districts are cutting off water to farmers. State agencies are already ramping up work to relieve hardships from water shortages, and the Department of Natural Resources expects more early-season and higher-elevation wildfires.
