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Seattle-Area Sees 44-Million-Gallon-Per-Day Drop in Water Usage – Inching Closer to The Regional Goal

Seattle regional map showing City water customers and surrounding areas that use the water system.

 On September 21 Seattle Public Utilities began asking its 1.5 million customers to voluntarily reduce their water use to help stretch the region’s water supply.

At that time, the Seattle region was using about 149 million gallons of water per day (mgd). Fast forward to today, our average consumption is 105 mgd.

That’s great progress and we’ve almost reached our regional goal. Remember, we want to get to 100 mgd or less and stay there until we get enough rainfall to replenish our mountain reservoirs.

Keep saving water and help us get there in November.

Graph showing regional water usage with historical averages and this year's use.

Here are some ways to use less water. You can also go to Saving Water Partnership for more water-saving tips.

  • Reduce rinsing, scrape your plate and let the dishwasher do the rest.
  • Shorten your shower. Save 2 gallons for every minute you shave off your shower.
  • Don’t leave the tap running. Turn off the water while shaving and brushing your teeth.
  • Use a broom. Sweep to clean patios and sidewalks instead of using a hose or power washer.
  • Run full loads. Wait to run your washing machine or dishwasher until it’s full.

Learn more:

Check out our At Your Service blog for previous updates:

We encourage our customers to continue reducing their water usage. There are lots of different ways for all families and businesses to use less water. Go to the Saving Water Partnership or download our water-saving tips flyer in multiple languages

Stay tuned for our next update on the region’s water supply, which will be published on this blog on Monday, November 27.  For more details about the region’s water supply, check SPU’s Water Supply Conditions web pageupdated weekly.