Published September 26 2023
After an unusually dry summer and an extended forecast that calls for more dry conditions, Bellevue is asking residents and businesses to voluntarily reduce their water usage.
The voluntary phase of Bellevue’s Water Shortage Management Plan comes at the direction of Cascade Water Alliance – Bellevue’s water supplier – and supports water conservation efforts enacted recently by Seattle Public Utilities, which sells water supply to Cascade. Water use reductions are necessary to stretch the region’s water supply until significant and sustained rainfall replenishes the mountain reservoirs.
"We have a Water Shortage Management Plan for instances just like this, where the region experiences prolonged dry weather conditions,” said City Manager Brad Miyake. “That’s why we are activating the voluntary stage of the plan and asking residents and businesses to reduce water use until our region receives more rainfall.”
Ways to reduce water use:
- Take shorter or fewer showers.
- Check for and fix leaks now, especially running toilets.
- Delay car washing or use a carwash that recycles water
“Bellevue Utilities has historically promoted a lifestyle of water conservation,” said Lucy Liu, director of Bellevue Utilities. “We are also making immediate changes to use even less water in our city operations during this time to stretch the water supply as much as possible.”
For details related to this announcement, including water-saving tips, a map highlighting regional water customers and answers to frequently asked questions, visit BellevueWa.gov/reduce-water-use.