Clean water is always there, because we're always here.
Unlike companies that sell you a product or service, we are a special purpose district that has the responsibility of providing a vital resource. We are all in this together. That’s why every time you and your neighbors pay your bills, that money goes directly into protecting, operating and maintaining the water and sewer infrastructure for you to use now, and for the generations ahead. It is your water and we want you to be a part of the conversation.

Your Water Sources
Over 80% of your water comes from underground aquifers and District operated wells. Cascade Water Alliance manages the contract with Seattle Public Utilities to bring water from the regional supply. This supplements groundwater resources and ensures plenty of water for growth in the years to come. This additional water supply was developed to ensure that eastside cities and special purpose districts would have more than enough water regardless of projected growth or unpredicted droughts.

Clean water is our promise to you, and we work to make sure you always have a reliable supply of safe drinking water at your tap. Your efforts to use water efficiently can extend our water supply, especially during drought periods.

Stewardship of your resources
When it’s your water, you care a lot about how it’s used. That’s why we have always been committed to environmental stewardship and ensuring we manage your water resources responsibly. We continue to review our operations and find new ways to manage your resources and ensure the District is providing safe, efficient and reliable water and sewer service.

Additional information on how the District is managing your resources and being a leader in the planning and practice of financial and environmental stewardship can be found in the Financial area (open in new tab) of the website.

Managing water during droughts
The District’s underground aquifers are replenished by rainfall during the rainy season and do not solely rely on snowpack. The regional water supply, however, is much more dependent on snowfall to refill the reservoirs high in the Cascade Mountains. 

Although we normally experience a summer dry season, during drought years, increased customer demand to water-thirsty landscapes can strain our water supply systems. This requires us to plan our water resources carefully as the recharging of our aquifers happens before and after our high-demand summers. The District actively manages water supply to ensure we meet customer demands. In addition, we partner with our regional water and utility organizations to collaborate on broad-based water saving and distribution strategies.  Sammamish Plateau Water must always ensure that water is available for public health and safety during drought periods. It’s our job and responsibility to balance water quality and supply needs for customer demand and firefighting. That’s why we have a Water Shortage Response Plan that establishes actions and procedures for managing water demand during droughts and other water outages. 

Planning for the future
It takes leadership to plan for the future. We actively manage your water and sewer infrastructure assets to ensure that you receive the greatest benefits at the lowest costs. We put away money each year to replace our pumps and pipes as part of routine maintenance to prevent breaks and backups, as well as being prepared for unexpected disasters. We know that being without water or sewer service is a huge inconvenience, and this program minimizes that likelihood. It also helps us avoid big increases in rates to fix what breaks. Our program is regarded in the industry as one of the best and most proactive – striking a delicate balance between affordable planning and responsible preparedness. We do everything we can to make sure when you turn on your tap, the water is there now and will be there in the future.