Here is an easy way to adjust your lawn sprinkler run times according to the season. All you need to know is the maximum sprinkler run time for each sprinkler zone. This is the watering time needed to keep your lawn in the condition you want during the hottest part of summer, usually July in Eastern Washington (100% in the tables below).
If you do not know the maximum sprinkler run time or want to determine the number of days between irrigations for your soil type, first look at this publication, Manage Water By Adjusting Lawn Sprinkler Run Time; Instructions for Eastern Washington State, and then come back here.
Instructions
- From the list below (organized by county), find the closest town to your location and click the link. Any nearby location will work as these numbers do not vary much across counties. Print the linked table and instructions and post it beside your sprinkler controller.
- Set all your sprinkler zone run times on your controller to their maximum or July settings, based on your experience.
- You can then use your sprinkler controller’s “Budget” or “Season Adjust” settings (or whatever it is called on your controller) to make monthly adjustments to all the zones run times at once using the percentages in the table. Set your phone to remind you once a month to change this budget setting.
If your controller does not have a budget setting, you can still use this method. Simply change each of your zone run times each month using your budget percentages in the table. It will take a few more minutes to make the calculations and change each zone but is well worth the effort to save water and money. Write down your results so you can skip all the calculations in future years.
Monthly Run Time Adjustments by County and Town/City
- Adams: Lind, Othello
- Asotin: Clarkston
- Benton: Kennewick, Prosser Richland
- Chelan: Chelan, Wenatchee
- Columbia: Dayton
- Douglas: Bridgeport, Waterville
- Franklin: Pasco, Connell
- Grant: Ephrata, George, Grand Coulee, Hartline, Mattawa, Moses Lake, Royal City, Quincy
- Kittitas: Ellensburg
- Klickitat: Goldendale
- Lincoln: Davenport, Odessa, Sprague, Wilbur
- Okanogan: Nespelem, Omak, Winthrop
- Pend Oreille: Newport
- Spokane: Cheney, Spokane
- Stevens: Colville
- Walla Walla: Walla Walla
- Whitman: Colfax, LaCrosse, Pullman
- Yakima: Yakima
Fine Tuning
Details
Contact Andrew McGuire with questions