While the rain has been falling off and on recently, the City of Tacoma, City of Everett, and the City of Seattle continue to ask people to reduce water use by 10 per cent.

The recent rain helped, but it was not enough to return water supplies to normal levels, and more rain and continued water reductions by customers are needed to replenish regional water supplies for people and fish, according to local officials.

Meanwhile, over the last four weeks, the region has collectively cut back water use by 14 per cent.

Now, as the weather cools, customers should think about what they can do to save water inside.

“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 Seattle Public Utilities conservation planner Kelly O’Rourke.

Indoor water-saving tips for residents include reducing showering times; checking for and fixing leaks; washing only full loads of laundry and dishes; turning off the tap while brushing teeth or shaving; and choosing water-efficient fixtures and equipment. Indoor water-saving tips for businesses include encouraging reduced showering times at your facilities; serving water only on request; checking for and fixing leaks; washing only full loads of laundry and dishes; providing new towels only on request; checking cooling towers for overflow and excessive blowdown; and choosing water-efficient fixtures and equipment.

Similarly, outdoor water-saving tips for residents include letting lawns go dormant and limiting plant watering to twice a week; watering plants before 8 a.m. or after 7 p.m.; washing your vehicle(s) at locations that recycle the water; doing only essential pressure washing; minimizing refilling swimming pools and hot tubs; and turning off water features.

Three weeks ago, the three cities moved to the voluntary stage of their water shortage response plans and asked customers to reduce their water use by 10 per cent to stretch water supplies for people and fish to the rainy season (see “Hot weather forces Tacoma to activate water shortage response plan,” Tacoma Daily Index, July 27, 2015). The move was the result of historic low river levels combined with record-setting hot and dry weather that have significantly increased the demand for water. By the end of August, the region had collectively cut back on its water use by 10 per cent over the last two weeks, hitting the goal set by the City of Tacoma, the City of Everett, and the City of Seattle, according to local officials (see “Local residents meet 10 per cent water reduction goal,” Tacoma Daily Index, Aug. 26, 2015).

The three cities plan to report how customers are doing every other week. The next round of regional results will be released the week of Mon., Sept. 21.

Last month, Pierce County officials announced they would take steps to reduce water usage by at least 10 per cent in response to current drought conditions (see “Pierce County aims to curb water usage by 10 per cent,” Tacoma Daily Index, Aug. 24, 2015). Similarly, City of Tacoma officials asked general government department directors to reduce water consumption in their departments by at least 10 per cent.