As one of the nation’s rainiest cities struggles with unusually dry weather, Seattle utility authorities have advised residents to water restrictions.
The Department of Seattle Parks and Recreation has announced that it will be taking steps to conserve water, one of which will be turning off all decorative fountains. (Source: Yahoo! News)
Water Level in Seattle Lowers Down than Usual
Dry weather might delay continuous rain showers, which worries Seattle Public Utilities water supply managers about providing water for people and fish. SPU said that Seattle consumes 149 million gallons per day as of Sept. 18. SPU will ask 1.5 million people—Seattle residents, companies, and residents of neighboring King County water districts—to save water. “Our hydrologic model predicts deep mountain reservoir drawdown. Water levels are already lower than typical, so we’re adjusting to feed our customers and rivers this fall, says SPU water resources planner Elizabeth Garcia. Garcia advised voluntary water restriction as the best approach to help.
The goal is to cut daily gallon consumption by 49 million. The stretch goal for Seattle households, businesses, and other serviced regions is to consume 100 million gallons of water each day. SPU advised the region should stay at that water consumption level or below until enough rain refills the mountain reservoirs. Working collectively to reduce water use in homes, businesses, and outdoors will help us achieve this goal. According to SPU water conservation manager Anna Dyer, everyone can assist by taking shorter showers, eliminating lawn watering, washing only full loads of clothes and dishes, and addressing water leaks, especially running toilets.
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Water conservation in Seattle Must be Implemented due to Water Shortage
Imagine a bathtub full of water to get a sense of a million gallons. USGS website: A million gallons would fit in 25,000 bathtubs because a good-sized bathtub holds 40 gallons. Over the years, dry conditions have increased in Seattle, but SPU has rarely pushed residents to limit their water use.
SPU last implemented a Water Shortage Contingency Plan in 2015. Seattle Water customers are good water stewards, SPU noted. In the last four decades, the regional water system has served 1.5 million people instead of 1 million, but they still utilize the same quantity of water as in the 1950s. We see our consumers use water properly every day. We just want them to do more until our water supply improves, Dyer added.
How to conserve water? Seattle Public Utilities offers a water-saving tip sheet. Here are household tips:
- Reduce shower time.
- Shower instead of bathing
- Wash just full loads of dishes and clothes.
- Find and mend leaks, especially toilets.
- Turn off the tap when brushing/shaving.
- Encourage friends and family to conserve water.
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