Who is Water Whys?

With over twenty years of landscape design and construction experience, Molly McDowell is a unicorn in the landscape industry. After graduating from South Dakota State University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Landscape Architecture, Molly spent nineteen years in the High Desert of Central Oregon working in the landscape industry. With an extensive knowledge in irrigation and landscape construction Molly produces landscape designs with installation in mind which leads to less issues during the construction process, which is especially helpful when it comes to landscape renovation plans.

Besides getting dirty, she has also spent her career dedicated to sharing knowledge with others teaching irrigation classes at Central Oregon Community College and Master Gardener seminars. Molly also served on the Oregon Landscape Contractors Board for nine years and served as chair for one. Molly has a unique ability to educate others in a way that empowers them to feel confident moving forward with their own landscape projects, whether phasing in a landscape plan over multiple seasons or installing drip irrigation in raised beds.

Molly’s Credentials & Professional Experience:

B.S. Landscape Architecture, South Dakota State University, 2005

All-Phase Landscape Construction Professional License #15251, Oregon, 2009 - current

Certified Irrigation Contractor #91460, Irrigation Association, 2014 - current

Backflow Tester #6745, Oregon Health Authority, 2018-2023

Board Member, Oregon Landscape Contractor Board, 2013-2019, 2022-2025, Chair 2015

Member, Oregon Landscape Contractors Association, 2009-2023, Central Oregon Chapter Secretary 2009, President-elect 2010, President 2011, 2012, 2020, 2021

A blueprint of a house and surrounding landscape, including trees, plants, and pathways, all in white lines on a black background.
Woman kneeling in a dirt trench, working with PVC pipes and green straps, outdoors in a backyard with wooden fence.
Colorful wildflowers including yellow, purple, and red in a garden with rocks in the background.
A wooden garden bed with various young vegetable plants, including lettuce and possibly kale, with drip irrigation lines and a small white bucket on gravel outside the bed.

Molly McDowell is the most water conscious landscape designer in Rapid City and the Black Hills region. By optimizing site opportunities, utilizing native landscape plants along with high-efficiency irrigation systems in her designs, Molly and Water Whys Irrigation & Landscape Design create plans for landscapes to survive and thrive in the future .

Woman wearing sunglasses and overalls, holding a chainsaw, standing next to a fallen tree on a country road with trees and grass in the background.
A gas pressure regulator with two gauges on the ground, one showing a PSI of approximately 120 and the other indicating a flow rate of about 3 gallons per minute, with multiple valves and pipes attached.