Where does Seattle get its water?

Tolt River Supply

The Tolt River Watershed is located in the foothills of the Cascades in east King County. It supplies about 30% of the drinking water for 1.4 million people in the greater Seattle area. The Tolt Reservoir captures water and snow from the Tolt watershed.

What is the water source for Seattle?

Seattle water comes from two large regional watersheds, Cedar and Tolt. Both are large drainage basins that collect rainwater flowing down from the Cascade mountain range.

Can you drink the tap water in Seattle?

Seattle's Drinking Water is Safe From COVID-19

Seattle's drinking water remains safe and protected against contaminants, including COVID-19 caused by the novel coronavirus. The City's water is chlorinated to remove microbial contaminants, such as bacteria and viruses.

Does Seattle have enough water?

The short answer: we're okay. SPU has about 40 billion gallons of water in active storage, which is almost exactly the twenty-year average amount for this point in the year. At our most recent rate of consumption, that's over 200 days of water — more than enough to take us into the rainy season.

Where does our water come from in Washington?

Washington's drinking water comes from three sources: groundwater (wells and springs), surface water (lakes and rivers) and snowpack/snowmelt (supply for rivers, lakes and aquifers).

The Source: A Story of Seattle's Tap Water

Is Seattle water chlorinated?

Our drinking water is treated with chlorine in order to protect against microbial contaminants. Because there is little else in our water that produces a taste or odor, the chlorine is often the only taste remaining.

Does Washington state have water shortage?

We amended the Order and Determination of Drought Conditions originally issued July 24, 2021, and set to expire on June 1, 2022. Overall, the area classified as Drought Emergency status is being reduced from approximately 96 percent to 9 percent of the state.

Why is sewage so expensive in Seattle?

Seattle has such high rates because we've invested more than most places in our water infrastructure in recent years. We relocated our reservoirs underground, in compliance with federal mandates, to keep our drinking water safe from contaminants.

Why is Seattle not in a drought?

We issued a drought emergency declaration on July 24, 2021, for most of Washington. Three watersheds — including the Everett, Seattle, and Tacoma metropolitan areas — were determined to have adequate water supplies for people and fish, and therefore excluded from the declaration.

Is Seattle suffering a drought?

Jay Inslee declared a drought emergency in Washington — though the order excluded Seattle, Everett and Tacoma because those areas have municipal water storage — to combat the state's second driest spring on record since 1895. Water supplies were projected by the governor's office to reach 75% of average.

What City has the cleanest tap water in America?

What state has the best water?

Hawaii ranks first in the nation for air and water quality, as well as in the overall natural environment category. Massachusetts places second in this subcategory, followed by North Dakota, Virginia and Florida. Learn more about the Best States for air and water quality below.

Who has the best tap water in America?

Emporia, Kansas is known for having clean, great-tasting water as it won the Best Tap Water prize at the 23rd annual Berkeley Springs International Water Tasting. Missouri: Missouri has some of the best drinking water not just in the U.S., but in the world.

Who supplies Seattle water?

Tolt River Supply

It supplies about 30% of the drinking water for 1.4 million people in the greater Seattle area. The Tolt Reservoir captures water and snow from the Tolt watershed.

Is Seattle water hard or soft?

Water Hardness by City

The average water hardness is between 12 PPM to 218 PPM, which is considered to be hard water, by the USGS water hardness measures. Some examples of cities with very soft water are Seattle with 22 PPM and Everett with a hardness level of 12 PPM.

Where does King County get its drinking water?

Nearly all of this water is supplied by the Cedar River Watershed and the South Fork Tolt River Watershed in eastern King County. The remaining King County population obtains their potable water from approximately 2,000 other public systems and 12,000 private wells.

Is the Pacific Northwest getting drier?

Average rainfall during the summer is decreasing, with the Pacific Northwest getting up to 50% less summer rainfall than it got pre-1990. And while summer precipitation is on the decrease, temperatures are increasing.

How many days of the year does it rain Seattle?

A: On average it rains about 150 days a year in Seattle, but the amount of rain isn't much. Q: How much rainfall does Seattle get each year? A: On average, Seattle gets about 37 inches of rain each year.

What is the wettest month in Washington state?

A lot of rain (rainy season) falls in the months: January, March, November and December. On average, November is the wettest month with 6.4 inch (162 mm) of precipitation. On average, July is the driest month with 0.6 inch (16 mm) of precipitation.

How much does electricity cost in Seattle?

Seattle area households paid an average of 11.6 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh) of electricity in May 2021, compared to the 11.4 cents per kWh paid in May 2020. The average cost of utility (piped) gas at $1.186 per therm in May was more than the $1.090 per therm spent last year.

How much is the average gas bill in Seattle?

The average gas bill for apartment renters is about $100 in winter, but will probably drop to $60 or possibly much less in the summer.

Is Washington state in a drought 2021?

The most intense period of drought occurred the week of August 3, 2021, where D4 affected 38.13% of Washington land. The U.S. Drought Monitor (USDM) is a national map released every Thursday, showing parts of the U.S. that are in drought.

Is WA still in a drought?

While spring rains help most of Washington, parts still under emergency drought. May 31, 2022 5 a.m. Although this spring has brought rain to parched Northwest landscapes, parts of Washington east of the Cascade Mountains will remain under an emergency drought declaration this summer.

Is Seattle water fluoridated?

We add fluoride to Seattle drinking water to an optimal level for the prevention of tooth decay. Fluoridation of Seattle's water began in 1970 after a referendum vote in 1968 directed the City to fluoridate the drinking water.