On Monday, the Water Supply Forum, made up of water suppliers in King and Pierce and Snohomish counties, announced that the central Puget Sound region is expected to have sufficient quantities of high quality, great tasting water for the next 50 years. The region will have plenty of water to protect the environment and fish habitats as well as provide an economic advantage over other areas in the country as growth resumes.

City of Redmond Mayor John Marchione, representing Redmond and the Cascade Water Alliance, was among the speakers who made the announcement at the Seattle Center International Fountain.

Other groups represented included water suppliers Seattle Public Utilities, Tacoma Water and the City of Everett as well as other smaller providers. The members of the regional forum came together to present the 2012 Regional Water Supply Update during National Drinking Water Week.

The member suppliers analyze potential future needs and supplies and plan accordingly. A key part of their mandate to manage existing water systems includes making wise infrastructure investments for the future. Together, forum members reviewed demand, used new ways of looking at supply and as a result, produced a coordinated outlook for the future.

“Our demand has changed in this region and our supply is plentiful. This is a result of several things: system efficiency, smart infrastructure investments and stewardship of water by utilities as well as regional collaboration,” said Chuck Clarke, chair of the forum and chief executive officer of Cascade Water Alliance. “And our residents throughout the region have made a difference by using water wisely.”

Ray Hoffman, director of Seattle Public Utilities, added “We will be able to provide high quality drinking water for at least the next 50 years.”

Since the mid-1990s, dramatic changes in water use have resulted in decreased average water use per household. This is the result of increased water use efficiency, savings from conservation, changes in landscaping, more efficient household appliances, enhanced building and plumbing codes and improved irrigation.

“Our update also reflects the significant improvements and enhancements providers are making to their long-established water systems to ensure service reliability,” said Jim Miller, engineering superintendent of the City of Everett’s water supply system.

Cascade Water Alliance purchased Lake Tapps in Pierce County for long-term water and was granted one of the most significant new municipal water rights issued by the state in a decade.

“The forum continues to be a venue for regional discussion about municipal water supply and it gives water suppliers a way of identifying, analyzing and discussing regional and national trends as well as external threats,” said Clarke.

For the complete report visit www.watersupplyforum.org/2012_update/index.html. For more information on the forum visit www.watersupplyforum.org.