Is Seattle Drying Up?

Seattle residents are grumbling that their normally temperate summer disappeared this year in the midst of a heat wave.

“A scant 0.23 inches of rain fell during June—making for the fourth-driest June in Seattle since records have been kept at Sea-Tac Airport. When combined with May’s meager 0.58-inch total, Seattle experienced its driest May 1-June 30 period on record,” Seattle Weather Blog reported.

The city averages 1.57 inches of rain in June. Authorities took steps to ensure the water supply as unusually dry conditions lingered.

“The City of Seattle will soon draw on extra water from backup sources because of the heat wave. A lack of rain has depleted usual reservoirs, and people have been using 21 percent more water than expected since May 1,” The Seattle Times reported, citing Seattle Public Utilities.

Scientists are blaming global warming for the shift in Seattle’s weather.

“From preparing for more intense heat to protecting the new downtown sea wall under construction to calculating the number of maintenance holes, pump stations and outfalls that will be under water in the new normal, city agencies are readying for sea-level rise caused by the amount of heat-trapping greenhouse gases, especially carbon dioxide, pumped into the atmosphere by human activities,” The Times reported.

According to Maia Bellon, the director at the Washington State Department of Ecology, Seattle is not alone, per KOMO News.

Over 98 percent of the state is in severe drought, she said. "It is unlike a drought we've seen before in the state of Washington.”

So much for the ambitions of William Shatner, who believes massive new infrastructure project dependent on Seattle water can help Californians live long and prosper during arid times.

"In full Captain Kirk mode, [he] is looking to marshal a crew for a project with an astronomical budget to deal with California’s drought problems, although some might call it a pipe dream," MSN reported.

"The 'Star Trek' star has told Yahoo Tech journalist David Pogue he intends to start a crowdsource campaign on Kickstarter.com to raise $30 billion for a pipeline to bring water from the Seattle area for use by thirsty California," it continued.

More drought stories can be found at Water Online’s Water Scarcity Solutions Center.