City Council Receives Presentation on Water Shortage Consumption Reduction Actions on June 4

On May 1, 2024, the City Manager issued Proclamation No. 329 Declaring a Local Emergency due to the reduction in the supply of incoming potable water to Mercer Island caused by a leak in the Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) primary water supply pipeline to Mercer Island. SPU and City staff have been working to repair the primary water supply line, however given the highly technical nature of the repairs, work is not expected to be complete until late summer. The backup line will likely not supply enough water to keep up with the higher water demand typical during the summer months.

The City’s Water Shortage Contingency Plan (WSCP) provides guidelines to manage the water supply and consumption in the event of a water shortage. The plan enables the City to maintain essential public health and safety, and minimize adverse impacts on economic activity, environmental resources, and the City operations.

In June, the City anticipates activating the Voluntary Stage of water consumption reduction measures, as described in the WSCP. The WSCP identifies 28 actions that water customers can implement during the Voluntary Stage to significantly reduce water use – a combination of both behavior and hardware changes. The City hopes that by implementing these actions, entering the Mandatory Stage can be avoided.

Mercer Island City Council will receive a presentation of recommended actions in response to a water supply emergency at its regular hybrid meeting on June 4, 2024. Agenda materials for the meeting are available here (Agenda Item #11). The hybrid meeting will be broadcast live on MITV Channel 21 and live streamed on the City Council’s YouTube Channel.