SEQUIM – The city of Sequim has declared a drought emergency.

Residents are urged to voluntarily cut back on water use.

Yesterday, city officials said early snowmelt, a lack of spring rain, and low stream flows prompted the Washington Department of Ecology to declare a drought emergency last month for watersheds including the Dungeness River basin. That’s where the City of Sequim’s water supplies come from and prompted the city to make the water emergency declaration.

Ecology’s declaration indicated that in the Dungeness watershed, concerns about fish hatcheries and salmon migration have been reported due to low stream flows. Fishery and irrigation managers are now coordinating to maximize stream flows to assist pink salmon currently migrating up the Dungeness River to spawn.

City officials say while the city’s water comes from wells and not surface streams, water conservation by City residents and businesses can make a difference because of underground connections between groundwater and surface water.