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The City of Redmond believes that safe drinking water is no
accident - it is our highest priority. But we need your help to
continue to be successful. The Annual Report on your Drinking Water
for 2008 (printed in Summer 2009) has been delivered to your home. If you
have any questions about drinking water quality, feel free to email us
at waterquality@redmond.gov. The
2008 Annual Report on Your
Drinking Water
is
available to read or print, as well as
the previous year's report
(2007).
The 2008 report is one meg in size and may take a while to download on a
dial-up web connection. If you are interested in the history of
your drinking water, Annual Reports on Your Drinking Water for
2006,
2005,
2004, and
2003 are also
available for viewing. The report links go to Adobe Acrobat formatted
documents. If you need to, obtain the
free Acrobat Reader to view and
print. Redmond's City Council accepted the
recommendation from the Planning Commission and unanimously adopted its
Wellhead Protection Ordinance on October 21, 2003. This very public and
inclusive process took several years to complete, and the finished
ordinance is now being implemented. To review the approved
ordinance click on the following link
Final Signed Wellhead
Protection Ordinance (This pdf file is1,624 kbs. and may take a
while to download with a dial up modem.) The report links go to Adobe Acrobat formatted
documents. If you need to, obtain the
free Acrobat Reader to view and
print.
All of us in Redmond have a stake and a duty to protect our
groundwater. It makes up about 45% of the city's drinking water supply.
Following are some ideas on what you can do now to help protect Redmond's groundwater.
For the homeowner, remember all of Redmond is subject to Redmond Fire
Department requirements when handling hazardous materials. Your yard and
garden also contribute to what gets into the groundwater, so use natural
gardening practices that can include:
- Check your soils by digging and taking a look. If it needs help,
build healthy soils by composting.
- Need fertilizer? Go organic. Overuse of chemical pesticides and
fertilizers can damage beneficial soil life and wash off into streams,
lakes or our aquifer, where it can harm plants or animals or someday
show up in the water supply.
- Pick the right plants for your site. That means not just the right
color and look, but what grows best in the Northwest that fits in with
the sunlight, soil health and water available in your yard. Great new
plant ideas are available at your local nurseries or through websites
such as Great Plant Picks.
- Practice smart watering by using just what your landscape needs
and not over watering it. Learn how to adjust your irrigation
controller or use soaker hoses that put the water at the root level
without waste. By not wasting water, we won't have to pump more from
our wells than can be recovered.
- Think twice before using pesticides. Overuse of pesticides can
damage soil and plant health. Pesticides can run off into streams and
down through soils into our aquifer.
- Practice natural lawn care. Mow higher and grasscycle by leaving
the clippings on the lawn to work as natural fertilizer. Use
additional organic fertilizers sparingly.
For additional information, call the Natural Lawn and Garden Hotline
at 206-633-0224, or check out the Lawn and Garden section of the
www.savingwater.org website for
excellent advice about natural yard care. Another great source of
information is
King County Department of Natural Resources.
Still more questions? Redmond's Wellhead Protection Lead is Kevin
Murphy at 425-556-2756 or visit the
Wellhead Protection web pages on this website. If you have questions
about Redmond water quality, please contact Tom Fix, Redmond Senior
Water Quality Analyst at 425-556-2847 or email
nr@redmond.gov.
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