NORTH BEND, Wash. — North Bend residents are being asked to limit their water usage following the driest summer western Washington has experienced in decades.
Beginning Oct. 20, the city will move to Stage 2 of its Water Conservation Ordinance, limiting times for irrigation until further notice.
North Bend residents are asked to adhere to the following directives:
- Irrigate landscaping three times per week - the volume of water is not affected, but the city urges people to be cognizant of their water use at any time.
- Water between 6 p.m. and 10 a.m. when less evaporation occurs.
- Landscape and pasture irrigation - except drip - is limited to a maximum of three days per week. Customers with odd street addresses can irrigate Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Customers with even street addresses can water Wednesday, Fridays and Sundays.
Hand and manual watering follows the same odd/even schedule, but can be done any time of the day.
Additionally, no water can be used for construction purposes without city approval.
Water cannot be used to wash roadways, driveways, parking lots, sidewalks, buildings or other hardscape surfaces unless it's necessary for health or emergency purposes.
Water will only be served upon request at restaurants.
Mark Rigos, North Bend’s deputy city administrator and Public Works director, said when it comes to enforcement, the first thing the city will do is educate residents if someone is not following the water rules.
“Second thing we do is a verbal warning. Third could be a fine or a violation. But so far - this is our third year of the water conservation ordinance - we haven't had to fine anybody or write any written warnings,” said Rigos.
The city's conservation ordinance stages are set by levels of the Chester Morse Lake Masonry Pool, owned by Seattle Public Utilities. The utility sells water to about 25 jurisdictions, including mitigation water to North bend. The amount of water a jurisdiction can draw decreases during dry periods.
The above-average snow pack in the Cascades made city officials hopeful that Stage 2 of the conservation ordinance wouldn't be needed. However, the extended warm, dry weather changed that.
Western Washington's weather is taking a turn this week. by Friday, the first notable storm of the season will bring cooler temperatures and rain. The heaviest rain will occur on the coast and in the Cascade foothills, where 2-3 inches of rain is possible Friday through Monday.