Climate Impacts Group

Understanding How Growth Management, Water Efficiency, and Climate Could Shape Future Residential Water Demand in the Puget Sound Region

Despite the Puget Sound region’s reputation for abundant water, communities across western Washington are increasingly confronting summer water stress. Hotter, drier summers, declining snowpack, and rapid population growth are reshaping the timing and reliability of freshwater availability in the Puget Sound Region. 

Over the next 40 years, the region is expected to add roughly five million residents, increasing pressure on water infrastructure, freshwater ecosystems, and instream flows that support salmon and other species.

Understanding both how future regional water demand may change and the potential for alternative supplies are critical pieces of the region’s broader climate resilience strategy. To help address this challenge, the Climate Impacts Group partnered with Puget Sound Partnership on a multi-year project examining how future water management actions can support broader Puget Sound Recovery goals, both past and future.