After taking a break from meeting earlier this month, members of the Tumwater City Council convened for their regular meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 18, at Tumwater City Hall.
During the meeting, Tumwater Water Resources Specialists Carrie Gillum and Alex Kate Halvey gave councilors an update on the status of the city’s aquifers and water supply during a presentation detailing their annual drought assessment.
Currently, city water staff have placed the city in a drought advisory in order to prepare for the summer of 2027. While this past winter saw plenty of rainfall in the region, with multiple flood events, the winter was also milder than normal, meaning less snowpack at higher elevations to melt later in the year and run off into streams and rivers.
Snowpack levels were significantly lower than normal, an estimated 48% to 57% below peak median levels across Tumwater’s two drainage basins. And while flooding events hit the region at the beginning of winter with heavy rains, overall precipitation is around 6 inches lower than the average since the start of the new year.
“We have our production well levels that we look at … This is showing the depth to water. You can see in some years the water level has gone up, and then, in other years, it’s gone down,” Gillum said. “Lately, because of our drought, we are seeing that some of the water levels are going down, which then impacts how much water may be available for us in our system. Currently, we’re doing OK. Our system is doing OK. But by monitoring this and knowing what’s coming up, this is how we’re able to keep on top of our communication to our community about making sure we’re being good about water conservation.”
Given Gillum originally hails from Tucson, Arizona, and the current state of the Colorado River and Lakes Mead and Powell, she wants to promote responsible water use habits. Just this week, it was announced Lake Powell hit a new record low, according to The Hill.
“The idea of a water shortage is very different. We were definitely aware of it growing up in the desert. There's always the potential for drought and water shortage. It’s dry. But up here, there’s always rain coming from the sky,” Gillum added. “... I tell people that we need to be looking at the desert Southwest and seeing what problems they are having, so we prevent that for us in the future. It doesn’t mean we need to run around with our hair on fire, but we need to realize what a precious resource we have right now and how we can conserve it.”
Gillum hopes to avoid policies in place in desert cities such as Tucson, where plant irrigation can be restricted to certain times of the day, or fines issued for residents caught wasting water by having things like a sprinkler pointing in the wrong direction, doing nothing but watering pavement or a sidewalk. According to Gillum, irrigation accounts for the largest water usage in Tumwater, with about 40% of the city’s water going to water both residential plants and area farms and parks.
She also raised concerns about contamination to water supplies.
“We are finding there’s a lot more contamination that’s occurring out there as we do more and more testing. Everybody influences that. It’s down from the household level up to the industrial level. What you do in your backyard and what you decide to put on your lawn affects the water you’ll be drinking in the future,” Gillum added.
Given the city’s current drought advisory, city staff are currently working on contacting large users of irrigation water to work on conservation habits, though given it’s only a drought advisory, participation is voluntary.
Staff are also utilizing social media to promote water conservation habits, and offering incentives and rebates for those who participate.
During the meeting, councilors also made a declaration officially designating Aug. 31 as National Overdose Awareness Day and heard a presentation of Thurston Conservation District members on community garden efforts in the region.
