EVERETT — City water customers have excelled at meeting voluntary drought cut-backs and officials are asking them to keep at it, even after recent rains.
Everett’s reservoir at Spada Lake remains about 76 percent of normal levels for this time of year, public works spokeswoman Marla Carter said. That’s better than the 64 percent it registered a month ago when officials throughout the region called on people to curtail water use.
“We’re looking at more warm weather for the weekend, so that could start to drop again,” Carter said.
Everett officials joined counterparts in Seattle and Tacoma this week in asking water customers to continue their thrifty ways.
The cutbacks are voluntary, and correlate to the second of four stages in Everett’s drought plan. If things were to get worse, the city could move to mandatory and emergency stages.
Water-providers had asked customers to cut back by 10 percent. In Everett, they achieved 15.5 percent, Carter said. Everett provides water well beyond its city limits, to an area with a population of about 570,000.
Everett, Seattle and Tacoma water customers collectively reduced their use by 14 percent, according to a press release.
“We are approaching that time of year when opportunities to save water outdoors decrease, but there are lots of water-saving tips inside our homes that we all can do now and year-round,” said Kelly O’Rourke, conservation planner at Seattle Public Utilities.
Less than 80 percent of normal rainfall came to Spada Lake in August, Carter said. The city has received mixed long-term forecasts, so they’re unsure whether to expect replenishing rains or a dry spell that makes things worse.
“We figure we’ve got storage right now for about eight months,” Carter said. “That’s fine if we get some precipitation to fill the reservoir again this winter. But we don’t know that we’re going to get that. And the predictions we’re getting are starting to shift and change.”
The PUD, which manages the Jackson Hydroelectric Project at Spada Lake, reduces power generation during times of drought by lowering flows on the Sultan River. That helps maintain enough water for salmon and other fish to survive.
The reservoir remains below normal, despite rising 6.8 feet in the last 11 days thanks to 9 inches of rain, PUD spokesman Neil Neroutsos said. The PUD is now generating 14 megawatts, which is about 60 percent of normal for this time of year.
Noah Haglund: 425-339-3465; nhaglund@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @NWhaglund.
Indoor water-saving tips at home:
Take shorter showers
Check for plumbing leaks and fix them
Wash only full loads of laundry and dishes
Turn off the tap while brushing teeth or shaving
Don’t pre-rinse dishes
Buy water-efficient fixtures and appliances
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