Drinking Water Quality Report

We know safe drinking water is important to you and your family. We are pleased to report that the City of Tumwater’s drinking water met all state and federal standards in 2023! To ensure your drinking water is protected, we collect samples almost every single day, all year round, across our water system.

Samples are collected from water pipes, wells, and with your assistance, in homes throughout the City. Tumwater continues to provide clean, safe, and reliable drinking water to our community, year after year.

You can view the complete 2023 Water Quality results online. Want a printed copy of the table? No problem! Contact the Water Resources & Sustainability
Department.

Every Drop Counts

With the recent statewide drought declaration, it’s more important than ever to conserve water. As we embrace summer in the Pacific Northwest it's important to remember that water is not as abundant during dry months. This means in months without rain, we are not recharging our aquifers as quickly, and future water needs may be impacted. Summer brings the highest use of our water, mostly due to landscape irrigation. As we dive into our home and gardening projects and ramp up on our hobbies, water conservation should be one of our top considerations. Tumwater is working hard to manage, protect, and share conservation information with community members. 

You, too, can make a difference.  How?  In addition to spreading the word about the need for water conservation, here are some easy actions…

Indoor home maintenance and daily habits:>

• Reduce shower times.
• Fix leaky toilets and dripping faucets.
• Upgrade to low flow shower heads and toilets.
• Turn off the faucet when brushing your teeth.
• Use an energy efficient washing machine and dish washer.

Outdoor home and garden activities:

• Take your car to the car wash.
• Convert lawns to pollinator friendly planting beds.
• Sweep instead of pressure washing.
• Water in early morning or late evening.

To learn more about free water saving devices and available rebates, visit the City of Tumwater’s web site at: Rebates and Incentives.

Summer Brings Clean Cars

Did you know the rinse water from washing your car is nasty? It contains things like oil, soap, chemicals, and bits of tire dust. In some neighborhoods, when you wash your car in your driveway the wash water goes into the nearest storm drain. After that it drains to our lakes, rivers, and Puget Sound. That can harm people and wildlife, like salmon and orcas, that depend on clean water. The best place to wash your car is at a commercial car wash. Dirty water from a commercial car wash goes to our local wastewater facility for treatment. 

Car washing fun facts:

• The average driveway car wash uses a total of 116 gallons of water. 
• The average commercial car wash uses 60% less water than a simple home wash.  
• ALL soaps & detergents, even biodegradable ones are toxic to fish & other aquatic life. 

Trees, Now and Into Our Future

Did you know that the City has its own Urban Forestry Management Plan that focuses on growing, protecting, managing, funding, and engaging with residents for our urban forest? Tumwater, a “Tree City USA” for 29 years, has accomplished a lot from this plan over the past two years including:

• Launched an effort to revise ordinances related to protection of trees and vegetation, landscaping, and street trees.
• Inventoried trees on City properties to estimate the ecosystem service values they provide and future maintenance costs.
• Held training for City staff on Urban Forestry topics.
• Provided more than 200 native plants to community members at the Tumwater Tree Board’s annual Arbor Day celebration.
• Created an interactive online map for our City Heritage Trees.
• Hosted interns to research climate change impacts on approved street tree species.
• Secured federal grant funding to support hiring a full-time Urban Forester/Urban Ecologist position.

We love hearing from our residents about questions, concerns, and moments of joy in our urban and community forest (and all Tumwater natural areas). Please feel free to reach out to us a Water Resources.

New Salmon Steward Training!

Protecting salmon is important for keeping our ecosystems healthy and making sure we have enough fish for the future. By joining Stream Team as a Salmon Steward, you can help with these efforts. Salmon Stewards get special training to learn how to educate their communities about why saving salmon is important. By getting trained and volunteering during salmon runs, you can help protect these amazing fish for future generations.

In 2024, our Salmon Steward program is back with some exciting updates. We've made it easier for everyone to join by moving our training online. Starting in July, you can take the Salmon Steward Training series anytime during the year! For more information and to sign up, visit the Events - Stream Team section on the Stream Team website. We can't wait to have you join the Salmon Steward team!

Second Saturday Restoration Event

The City of Tumwater is now moving into its 5^th month of hosting the Stream Team, Second Saturday Restoration Event, at Sapp Road Park. Activities include tree limbing, removing weed barriers, and invasive plant removal. To date, an amazing group of dedicated Stream Team volunteers have removed thousands of square feet of weed barrier that have been preventing understory growth from taking place. Now natural processes can occur below and above the ground surface. Plans for Sapp Road Park include a comprehensive restoration effort that complements water quality, habitat diversity, and environmental education at the park, and throughout the Percival Creek watershed. To learn more about how you can participate in this community effort, please register for one of our Second Saturday Restoration Dates at Events - Stream Team. We look forward to seeing you there!

Events:

City Sponsored

Dog Days:  June 8. For more details go to, Dog Days Tumwater Parks & Recreation.

Climate Change Comprehensive Plan Element Open House, taking place on; July 31. For open house event details visit 2025 Comprehensive Plan Update | City of Tumwater, WA.

City of Tumwater Stream Team

Second Saturday Restoration Events: June 15, July 13, August 10 - Register at Events - Stream Team.

Marine Creature Mondays: July 15, July 22, July 29, August 5, August 12, August 19 -  Register at Events - Stream Team.