By John Dodge, The Olympian, 6/28/1996
Lacey, Olympia and Tumwater kicked off their summer water conservation program Thursday, urging residents to use water wisely.
The voluntary program limits outdoor watering to the hours between 7 p.m. and 9 a.m. Even-numbered addresses Water on even calendar days and odd-numbered addresses on odd days.
The goal of the summer campaign is to make sure there is enough water for everyone without jeopardizing water supplies needed to fight fires.
About half of the water consumed in the summer is for outdoor uses such as watering gardens and lawns.
During extended periods of hot, dry weather, water use can triple what is normal, city officials say.
The water supply picture in Olympia and Lacey is about the same as it was last summer.
While Tumwater has two new wells in place, all of the cities continue to experience population growth.
And all of the cities are working on water conservation programs that will be year-round - not just in the summer.
"We want people to understand that groundwater is a limited resource, even in rainy Olympia," city program specialist Tikva Breuer said.
Groundwater, which is replenished by rainfall, is the sole source of drinking water in Thurston County.
Voluntary summer water restrictions in the three cities grew out of a July 1994 heat wave that had the cities scrambling to meet customer demands.
The strategy in 1995 and again this year is to set daily use targets in each city, then monitor consumption.
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