During 2012, Shoreline Water District purchased 501 million gallons of water, with an unaccounted water rate of less than 4% throughout our distribution system, thus meeting one of our local water conservation goals. The Board of Commissioners will adopt new six year goals for 2013 – 2018 later this summer.

To meet regional goals, we participate in the Regional Water Conservation Program administered by the Saving Water Partnership (SWP), which set a goal of saving 11 million gallons per day (mgd) of cumulative annual average saving from 2000-2010, which was increased to a saving target of 15 mgd cumulative annual average savings from 2011-2030.

As one of a group of 18 utilities that purchases wholesale water from Seattle Public Utilities, Shoreline Water District addressed this target by adopting a six year goal of saving 5.98 mgd throughout the combined SWP service area during 2007-2012 (we are currently working to establish new goals beginning in 2013). In 2012, the Saving Water Partnership achieved an estimated 0.78 mgd of annual average savings. Cumulative savings 2007 through 2012 are 5.39 mgd toward the 6-year total of 5.98 mgd. District customers helped us reach these goals by utilizing the following programs:

• 56 residents within our District service area boundaries took advantage of the single family toilet rebate program.
• One multifamily complex replaced 3 toilets as part of the Multifamily toilet replacement program.
• 6 businesses replaced 27 washers as part of the Laundry Wise multifamily clothes washer program.
• One family participated in the Residential Water Efficient Irrigation Program.

Since 1990, the population served by the Saving Water Partnership has grown by 17% while total water consumption has declined by 29%. As a result, we use 39% less water per person than we did in 1990. Thanks to water-efficient fixtures, new practices in landscaping, and business and residential conservation efforts, we’ve been able to reduce per-person water consumption by 14% in the past 6 years, from 92.2 to just 83.6 gallons per day.

Our water consumption is as low as it was in the late 1950s, even though our population has grown by more than eighty percent. Key factors that have contributed to a 19 percent reduction in regional water use since 2000 include 1) conservation programs; 2) improving the way the our water system is operated (repairing pipelines quickly, cleaning reservoirs, annually operating all our valves and hydrants); 3) setting water rates that encourage the wise use of water; and 4) adopting building codes that make efficient plumbing fixtures the norm.