From the Washington State Department of Health, Division of Environemtnal Health, Office of Drinking Water

New Water Use Efficiency Rule Goes Into Effect January 22, 2007[for Municipal Water Suppliers like the City of Yelm]

The Office of Drinking Water has taken an important step in conserving water for the environment and meeting the needs of future generations by adopting rules that require public water systems to use water more efficiently.

Who is Affected?

These rules apply to water systems that are municipal water suppliers. Municipal water suppliers include:

Group A community water systems with 15 or more residential connections.

Non-community water systems that use water in a residential manner.

What are the Requirements?

The rules require water systems to use water efficiently and demonstrate that they are doing so. Specifically, water systems must:

Develop a plan through a public process and enact measures to manage water use.

Reduce distribution system leakage to 10 percent or less.

Install service meters within 10 years, if not already installed, to accurately account for water usage and leakage.

Reporting annually on their progress in using water efficiently.