Water Use & Conservation

Bellevue is a member of the Cascade Water Alliance, who procures water from the Cedar River and the South Fork of the Tolt River. Cascade Water Alliance plays a large part in encouraging the efficient use of water by offering irrigation system upgrade rebates, classroom presentations on water topics, free online ordering of shower timers, rain gauges, and more! Check out their website to see if you qualify for free water conservation items. Irrigation is one of the largest consumers of water used in the community. Depending on each summer's temperature and rainfall, water use rises or falls. Healthy soils, plant selection, and good irrigation practices are an important part of helping to reduce water use in Bellevue, conserving for the future. Indoor water use is largely driven by the number of people and the efficiency of water fixtures such as toilets and showerheads.

Water use in Bellevue

In 2017, our Bellevue community used over 5 billion gallons of water. That is enough water to fill over 7,500 Olympic sized swimming pools! The residential sector of Bellevue is responsible for the majority of the city's water use. Water is used residentially for both household and outdoor irrigation tasks. There are many ways for people to use less water at home, including using water efficient appliances and shower heads. Using less water also means lower water bills!

Bellevue Water Use by Sector (2017)

Water Use Trends, 2011-2017

How much water are we saving in the community?

Water conservation programs have resulted in savings of more than 566,453 gallons of water per day in Bellevue 2008-2011. In 2011, Bellevue supplied (via the Cascade Water Alliance) over 5.73 billion gallons of water to a population of 123,400 with a daytime work force than increases the population to 130,900. Bellevue's water system is fully metered. Conservation programs seek to reduce indoor and outdoor water use by promoting high efficiency plumbing fixtures, appliances, and irrigation technologies, as well as leak detection and repair. Toilets and urinal efficiency (including leak detection) improvements make up 56% of conservation savings from 2008-2011.

Gallons of Water Saved Per Day

How much water does Bellevue use per person?

The city of Bellevue used approximately 37,500 total gallons of water per person in the year 2016. which includes all retail commercial, municipal, multifamily and residential water use.The daily total usage of Seattle is 89 gallons per person compared to Bellevue's total daily usage of 102 gallons per person. The second chart shows only the annual residential water use, and does not include business or municipal water use. The USGS reports that nationwide the average domestic residential water use per capita was 89 gallons per day in 2010. USGS pg. 21

K4C

City of Bellevue Environmental Stewardship by the Numbers