Stellar Snippets
On Sept 21., the Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) asked residents to conserve water as drought conditions continue throughout the state.
Consumers were told to stop watering their lawns, reduce shower time, run full laundry and dishwashers, and fix any leaks in plumbiing.
The continuation of an ongoing dry summer and forecast of delayed autumn rains have prompted these concerns.
According to utility water resources planner Elizabeth Garcia, mountain reservoirs are already lower than average and require adjustment.
The director of SPU’s drinking water division said that the utility reservoir watersheds usually see rain of above 26 inches between May and Sept., but it has only reached 7 or 8 inches.
State officials declared a drought advisory across Washington in early July and a drought emergency for 12 counties a few weeks later.
Recently, rainfall has helped reservoir levels, but there is still a long way to go before things get better.
If things don't improve, SPU may pose strict restrictions, which has not been done since 1992, said the director of SPU’s drinking water division Alex Chen.