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Yakima, WA Water Use Rules: Recycled Water Rules (2026)

Significant Restrictions
Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified September 2026

Key Facts

Prohibited activity
Irrigation with graywater or reclaimed water
Where it applies
Wellhead Protection Zones 1 and 2 only
Legal basis
Critical Aquifer Recharge Area program
Enforced through
City development permit review

Summary

Yakima prohibits irrigating with graywater or reclaimed water inside Wellhead Protection Zones 1 and 2, the drinking-water aquifer areas closest to the city's Group A and B wells, under its critical aquifer recharge area rules.

Land uses or activities for new development or redevelopment that pose a significant hazard to the city’s groundwater resources... shall be prohibited in Wellhead Protection Zones 1 and 2. These land uses and activities include, but are not limited to: ... q. Irrigation with graywater or reclaimed water.

View official code

Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4980636; v1 updated 2026-08-03; through 08-03-2026).

Full Breakdown

Under Yakima Municipal Code § 15.27.820, the city's Growth Management Act-driven critical aquifer recharge area (CARA) program bars new development or redevelopment from irrigating with graywater or reclaimed water inside Wellhead Protection Zones 1 and 2: the six-month and one-year groundwater travel-time areas around the city's Group A and B water source wells. The ban sits alongside prohibitions on hazardous-liquid pipelines, landfills, bulk fuel storage and chemical manufacturing in the same zones, all adopted to keep contaminants out of Yakima's drinking-water aquifers. Outside Zones 1 and 2 the restriction does not apply.

Violations & Fines

New development proposing graywater or reclaimed-water irrigation inside Wellhead Protection Zones 1 or 2 is denied approval through the city's development review process; there is no citywide fine schedule.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I irrigate with reclaimed water anywhere in Yakima?
Only outside Wellhead Protection Zones 1 and 2. Inside those zones, new development may not irrigate with graywater or reclaimed water under the city's critical aquifer recharge area rules.
What are Wellhead Protection Zones 1 and 2?
Zone 1 is the six-month groundwater travel-time area around a Group A well; Zone 2 is the one-year travel-time area, both mapped under the city's Wellhead Protection Plan.

Sources & Official References

Other rules in Yakima

Leak Reporting DutySome RestrictionsNoise Ordinances: Decibel LimitsSome RestrictionsNoise Ordinances: Vehicle NoiseSignificant RestrictionsNoise Ordinances: Aircraft NoiseSome RestrictionsParking Rules: Commercial & Oversized VehiclesSome RestrictionsParking Rules: Abandoned VehiclesSignificant RestrictionsParking Rules: Curb Color RulesSome Restrictions

All Yakima rules

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