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Water Use Rules

How Kennewick Handles Water Use Rules: A Practical Guide

By CityRuleLookup Editorial Team

Kennewick maintains 93 local ordinances across all categories, and 2 of those deal specifically with water use rules. Here is a breakdown of what the city actually requires, what is prohibited, and where Kennewick falls on the strict-to-permissive spectrum compared to other cities.

Leak Reporting Duty

Kennewick customers must repair leaking private service lines at their own expense once notified, or the Water Department may disconnect service.

Key details: Who pays: customer, for non-city-installed lines. Enforcement tool: service disconnection. Replacement option: customer deposits estimated cost. Governing section: KMC § 14.03.100.

Failure to repair a noticed leak within a reasonable time allows the Water Department to disconnect the service line under KMC § 14.03.100 until repairs or replacement are arranged.

Recycled Water Rules

Within Kennewick's critical aquifer recharge areas, reclaimed water reuse projects must follow the City's Ecology- and Health-approved water and sewer plans, with surface spreading and direct injection each held to specific state groundwater recharge standards.

Key details: Applies in: Critical aquifer recharge areas. Surface spreading standard: RCW 90.46.080 recharge criteria. Direct injection standard: RCW 90.46.042. Plan approval: By Ecology and Health depts..

Spreading or injecting reclaimed water without meeting the RCW 90.46 recharge or injection standards, or outside an Ecology- and Health-approved plan, is a critical area code violation subject to City enforcement under Title 18.

The Bottom Line

Kennewick's water use rules rules are a mixed bag. Some areas are strict, others are relaxed, and the details matter. The best approach is to check the specific rule that applies to your situation rather than assuming Kennewick is broadly strict or permissive.

These rules come from Kennewick's publicly available municipal code. For complete penalty schedules, exemption details, and answers to common questions, see the individual ordinance pages throughout this guide.