The mountain watersheds feeding Seattle’s regional water supply reservoirs received rain over the weekend, which is good news.
The recent rainfall continues to help Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) replenish the drinking water supply for its 1.5 million customers.
The combined total storage in our reservoirs is at 78 percent of normal. With more wet weather forecasted for this week, SPU is hopeful that the rains will get the region closer to its normal reservoir storage levels for this time of year.
Customers continue to do their part to use less water. As of today, the average water consumption for the region is 104 mgd (million gallons per day) – just shy of the 100 mgd goal.
“With the progress we’ve made to use less water and refill our mountain reservoirs, coupled with the amount of rain forecasted for this week, SPU will be evaluating whether we need to remain in the Voluntary stage of our Water Shortage Contingency plan and continue to ask customers to reduce their water use,” said Julie Crittenden, Water Planning and Program Management Director. “Stay tuned…”
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:
- 1.5 Million People Asked to Use Less Water to Stretch Region’s Water Supply (September 21)
- Has the Rain Helped the Region’s Water Supply? Are Customers Using Less Water? (October 2)
- Seattle Residents and Businesses Keep Taking Water Savings to the Next Level (October 10)
- Reservoir Levels and Rainfall – Two Key Factors in Seattle’s Continued Ask to Reduce Water Use (October 16)
- Keep it Up! Water Usage Is Dropping and Here Are More Ways to Save Water (October 23)
- Water for People and Fish. Each Gallon Saved Keeps More Water in Our Rivers and Lakes for Fish and Wildlife (October 30)
- Customers Share Water-Saving Tips, Plus Alex Chen Talks Water Supply and Climate Change (November 6)
- Seattle-Area Sees 44-Million-Gallon-Per-Day Drop in Water Usage – Inching Closer to The Regional Goal (November 13)
- Reservoir Levels Up, Usage Down as Water Supply Conditions Improve Over Last 30 Days (November 28)
Stay tuned for our next update on the region’s water supply, which will be published on this blog on Monday, December 11. For more details about the region’s water supply, check SPU’s Water Supply Conditions web page, updated weekly.