North Bend works to conserve water during driest weather in decades

The extremely dry weather has prompted the City of North Bend to order more water conservation until further notice, restricting landscape irrigation.

Starting this Thursday, Oct. 20, Stage 2 of the city’s Water Conservation Ordinance goes into effect, with restrictions ranging from how often and when residents can irrigate their lawns to water served at restaurants only on request.

Rain on tap by weekend amid record-breaking dry weather, heat

“The WCO is part of North Bend City Council’s ongoing commitment to be good stewards of the environment, conserve a limited natural resource and protect the Snoqualmie River,” the city said in a public statement.  “Earlier this year, the City was hopeful Stage 2 would not be needed – due to the fairly large preceding winter snowpack and cool, wet spring. However, once the dry heat arrived in the Puget Sound region in June, it did not leave.”

City officials say this is the driest summer in North Bend since 1930, and the warmest one since the 1890’s. The National Weather Service reported that Seattle hit the second warmest day in October in almost 130 years, when the temperature reached 88 degrees Oct. 16.

Residents and businesses may only water their landscaping or pastures three times a week, instead of every day, and only between the hours of 6 a.m. and 10 a.m. in order to limit evaporation.

Watering schedules are based on street addresses, with odd street addresses allowed to water Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, and even street addresses may water Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays. Nobody may water their lawns Mondays.

The city will also be limiting the amount of watering on public lands using the same schedule, as well as pausing street and sidewalk washing except as necessary for health, sanitation, or fire protection purposes.

“The City appreciates residents’ efforts to comply with the WCO. Due to shorter days and longer, cooler nights, the City is confident the odd/even water schedule will provide sufficient water to sustain landscaping,” the city said.

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