Do you ever wonder how the water that falls as rain becomes the water that flows from your tap?  There are many steps involved in transforming rainwater to drinking water.  It involves legal proceedings (water rights), infrastructure (pumps, pipes, reservoirs) and people (waterworks operators, regulatory agencies).  Most of this goes on behind the scenes.  

Water availability in Kitsap is influenced by a rainshadow cast by the Olympic Mountains. The southwest part of the county gets over 80 inches of rain per year whereas the north end receives less than 30 inches.  To address this disparity, and ensure sustainable water supplies for communities in drier areas, Kitsap PUD and other water purveyors have worked to build regional drinking water infrastructure (more information on reverse). This infrastructure, essentially, taps source wells in Kitsap’s wet region and uses the water to augment supplies in drier regions.   

On July 16, 2019 Kitsap PUD and Silverdale Water District began a year-long pump test of KPUD’s Newberry Hill Well #2.  This well has been identified as a regional supply well.  Before it is brought online, it will be put through a pump test to test its capacity and evaluate its effects on other wells and streams in the vicinity.  During the test, the well will be pumped at 1,000 gallons per minute continuously.  The water will serve Silverdale Water District which has shut off most of its other source wells during the test.  

Precipitation and local stream flows will also be monitored.  This is a major undertaking that will not only test the capacity of the Newberry well, but also help define the extent of the Seabeck Aquifer, a source of regional drinking water supply for Kitsap County. The test is expected to conclude in July 2020. 

-Text from Kitsap Connection Newsletter