In early July, the Washington State Department of Ecology issued a statewide drought advisory. However, as noted in the advisory, utility companies in large metropolitan areas including Tacoma, Seattle and Everett have plenty of water for their customers thanks to robust storage facilities.  Water for Northshore Utility District (NUD) customers comes from Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) which anticipates it will have enough water for people and fish this summer based on current water conditions.

After experiencing a drier than average winter and a fast, early snowmelt, SPU took actions to store additional water in the Cedar River watershed.  SPU continuously analyzes its water supply – monitoring water storage in reservoirs, the inflows into the reservoirs from precipitation and melting snow, customer use, and water released from dams to benefit fish. SPU also monitors the near-term and long-term weather forecasts and plans for potential impacts on water supply.

No matter what water conditions are, we always encourage customers to use water wisely and help to conserve this natural resource. Helpful tips can be found at savingwater.org.