Spokane’s Water Wise Workshops attract packed library crowds
News Story By Cindy Hval | FāVS News
On March 12, the overflow crowd at the South Hill library took up every available seat. It seems Spokanites thirst for water-wise education is unquenchable.
Each Wednesday through April 30, the library, 3324 S Perry St., hosts free classes aimed at helping residents make smart, water efficient landscape decisions.
Presented by Cathy Spokas, SpokaneScape’s landscape architecture designer, the March 12 workshop, “SpokaneScape DIY Design” attracted attendees of all ages.
Spokas guided the group through the foundational principles of designing a beautiful and efficient water wise landscape.
Water Wise Spokane
Water Wise Spokane is a program the City of Spokane Water Department created to support customers’ efforts to reduce their water use and utility bills year-round.
The SpokanScape program launched in 2018, offers practical tips and rebate incentives for homeowners to create sustainable spaces while conserving water.
“In Spokane, grass isn’t supported naturally by our rainfall,” explained Hannah Walker, SpokaneScape coordinator. “Why not switch to a landscape more in harmony with what our environment offers?”
During the warmer months in Spokane, 83% of all residential water consumption is used outside. This equates to billions of gallons of excess water going to waste in a matter of months.
“We pump three times more in the summer than the winter,” she said. “This lowers the Spokane River and aquifer levels. Lower water levels equals higher water temps, which harms wildlife and can create algae blooms.”
Walker said the Spokane region is fortunate to have an incredible aquifer that recharges rapidly but urges residents to plan for predicted population growth.
Higher usage and demand make it more expensive for all of us.
“We all pay for new wells to expand the system,” she explained.
Partnering with Spokane Public Library
When it came to getting their message out, Walker said partnering with Spokane libraries made perfect sense.
“We’ve been doing workshops with them since 2022 and they’re always well attended,” she said. “We’re thankful for the community giving the workshops a try and being mindful of our water supply.”
The high turnout for this series doesn’t surprise Spokane Public Library Community Educator Juan Juan Moses, who works with the City Water Department to coordinate the classes.
“The library customers and Spokane citizens at large are ready and hungry for practical applications on messages of the importance of sustainability,” she said. “Not only do they gain knowledge on all kinds of topics, they gain the confidence to execute and translate this knowledge into reality because the presenters are from their own backyards.”
Moses said the series offers alternatives and solutions.
“We take an overwhelmingly big topic — environmental stewardship, and break it down into bites, to the personal, doable level,” she said. “We create opportunities for our patrons to improve quality of life through learning and we create opportunities for our partners to reach a wide audience. Nothing exemplifies our mission better than this series. It’s a win-win!”
Upcoming topics include “Choosing Your Plants! Go Native!” “DIY Drip Irrigation,” and “Eat Your Weeds: Urban Foraging.”
“I deeply believe that a healthy and resilient environment is the foundation of a healthy and resilient citizenry,” Moses said.
A faith perspective
Roger Hudson, former pastor of Covenant United Methodist Church in North Spokane, embraced water wise principles in his backyard garden, which he dubbed “Eden 99208.”
“Authentic Christianity, and all spiritual paths, is an invitation to action — to a joyful lifestyle of living in a loving relationship with God and all of God’s creation,” he said. “Such a lifestyle speaks of humanity choosing to move away from an extractive economy that is killing the earth, toward a regenerative economy that is one of abundance because it’s life-giving.”
Hudson dug a large swale along his garden’s contour designed to hold rain onsite — the water in the swale slowly infiltrates the soil so less irrigation is needed.
In addition, he’s employing SpokaneScape principles by learning which drought-resistant native species to plant.
“Not only will native species use less water, but they will also encourage an abundance of insect life in my garden since these mostly are species-specific, meaning they need native plants to thrive,” he said. “And, in a cascading effect, more insects mean more bird life in my garden as these arrive to feast on the bugs.”
One of his favorite quotes is from Wendell Berry, “To live, we must daily break the body and shed the blood of Creation. When we do this knowingly, lovingly, skillfully, reverently it is a sacrament. When we do it ignorantly, greedily, clumsily, destructively, it is a desecration.”
“From a faith perspective, I take this to mean that I have a choice to either live sacramentally or in a way that is a desecration. The first leads to life for all creation,” Hudson said. “Installing a water wise garden is a great place to start living sacramentally and to help launch a grassroots movement toward the better. After all, Eden awaits — and it begins in our gardens.”
Water Wise Wednesday Workshops take place on Wednesdays through April 30 at South Hill Library, 3324 S Perry St. See scheduled classes here:
Coming up:
Thirsty Thursdays, a four-part series designed to help maintain a healthy, resilient yard while conserving water and reducing costs.
Thursdays in May at 6 p.m. at the Shadle Library, 2111 W Wellesley Ave, Spokane, WA.
