Bellevue residents asked to voluntarily limit water use

Bellevue has become the latest Western Washington city to ask its residents and businesses to voluntarily reduce their water use following the region's unusually dry summer — despite the recent rainfall..

"We have a Water Shortage Management Plan for instances just like this, where the region experiences prolonged dry weather conditions,” Bellevue City Manager Brad Miyake said in a statement. “That’s why we are activating the voluntary stage of the plan and asking residents and businesses to reduce water use until our region receives more rainfall.”

People in Seattle and Kirkland have also been asked to use less water.

The Seattle area is still more than 6 inches shy of the amount of rain it should have by this time of the year.

RELATED: Start saving water, Seattle, utility says. We’re in drought conditions

The city of Bellevue is recommending that its residents take short showers, don't wash their cars, and fix any leaks, such as leaky toilets. The city says it is also cutting down on the water it uses in municipal operations.

According to the city:

The voluntary phase of Bellevue’s Water Shortage Management Plan comes at the direction of Cascade Water Alliance — Bellevue’s water supplier — and supports water conservation efforts enacted recently by Seattle Public Utilities, which sells water supply to Cascade. Water use reductions are necessary to stretch the region’s water supply until significant and sustained rainfall replenishes the mountain reservoirs.