Seattle Public Utilities and North City Water District activate the “voluntary” stage of water shortage contingency plan.

After a rapid snowmelt this spring, little to no rainfall this summer, and above-average water consumption due to an ongoing lack of rain, our region’s water reservoirs are lower than usual. In response, Seattle Public Utilities and North City Water District have activated the “voluntary” stage of our water shortage contingency plan.

 
Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) — the source / supplier of water for the majority of the utilities in this area, including North City Water — has been closely monitoring the situation all year long. 

Should this year’s El Niño pattern continue with a warm, dry fall and winter, SPU has identified a number of strategies to address water supply. Some of these have already been implemented, given the onset of salmon spawning season, others are waiting to be activated or adjusted as we join countless generations who have looked to the skies for rain.

What Does That Mean for North City Water District Customers?

The District is joining with water utilities throughout our region to ask customers to reduce their water use by 10 percent. Here are three ways you can do this around the home:

1. Shorten your shower (every minute = 2 gallons), and turn off the faucet while shaving or brushing your teeth.
2. Flush less often if possible, and check to make sure you don’t have a leaky toilet… if you hear your toilet occasionally hissing or refilling, this could be an indicator of a leak. Stop by the District office to pick up easy toilet leak test strips.
3. Use a broom instead of a hose to do outside fall clean up.

Visit the Saving Water Partnership website for more water conservation advice, rebates, and handy DIY tips!

North City Water District will keep you updated as SPU continues to assess weather, inflow, and reservoir conditions in order to evaluate if further actions are necessary.