Kent’s Water Department operates and maintains the water system and infrastructure to deliver clean, safe and reliable water. 

This clean water is used for domestic, commercial, industrial, and fire protection needs and is available for our customers and visitors both now and in the future. Operation and maintenance of Kent's water system meets the needs of our customers as well as Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Washington State Department of Health (DOH) regulatory requirements.

The water system includes wells, interties and spring supplies, pumping stations, pressure reducing and reservoir facilities, water quality monitoring and treatment operations, maintenance of water mains, valves, water services, fire hydrants, meters and other utilities.

Water Sources

The City of Kent owns and operates multiple groundwater sources located throughout the water system service area. They include Clark Springs, Kent Springs, East Hill Wells, Garrison Well, Armstrong Springs Well(s), Seven Oaks Well, Summit Well, O'Brien Well, 208th Street Well, and the 212th Street Well.

These sources of supply are served by aquifers that underlie the Green and Cedar River basins and fall within and without Kent's water service area and city limits. During high demand periods, supplemental well facilities (above) are activated, which meet the 6.2-million-gallon average daily demand (ADD) and the approximately 12.1-million-gallon peak daily demand (PDD).

Water System Plan

These water sources meet the city’s long-term peak day demand projections identified in the Water System Plan of approximately 18 million gallons based upon growth projections to 2030. Existing water supply can produce 30 million gallons per day.

The 2011 Kent Water System Plan estimated water demands through 2030. To estimate future water demands, historic consumption, land use and population forecasts were used. Kent has municipal water supplies of approximately 30 MGD which is sufficient to the meet the Average Daily Demand and the Peak Day Demand through the planning period in the 2011 Kent Water System Plan.

Several aquifers supplying Kent’s water are shallow and receive most of their water through infiltration (rainfall trickling through the ground into the aquifer). Because of this, the aquifers are susceptible to contamination from aboveground activities that have the potential to introduce contaminants through the ground to the aquifer.

The City of Kent manages over 400 city-wide utility accounts from different utility providers...

1. The City of Kent
2. Highline Water District
3. Lake Meridian Water District
4. Puget Sound Energy
5. Republic Services

Water Quality

Cross-Connection Control

The city implements an extensive Cross-Connection Control Program (CCP) to help ensure safe drinking water for its customers, isolating and eliminating hazards by requiring installation and testing of backflow prevention assemblies.

A properly installed and maintained backflow prevention assembly protects the water supply and the health and wellbeing of those who drink the water; and periodic testing ensures the assembly is working properly.

The CCP is designed to be a barrier between potential contaminants and the public water distribution system by regulating and monitoring the use of backflow prevention assemblies (BPAs). Higher than normal temperature fluctuations can cause accelerated degradation of materials, thermal expansion, reduction in water availability, fires, and other threats to the water distribution system.

Kent’s Cross-Connection Control staff is preparing for climate change by recommending the use of resilient materials for BPAs, insulated enclosures to help regulate thermal expansion, and proper pipe bedding to reduce breaks caused by fluctuating water tables.

Our Cross-Connection Control staff are also taking internal measures to help reduce climate impact. They are reducing paper waste through electronic communication, using fuel-efficient vehicles, and recommending the use of insulation instead of powered heaters for BPA enclosures to reduce our city’s carbon footprint.

Wellhead Protection

To ensure Kent’s groundwater is protected, a Wellhead Protection Program was implemented in 1996 and updated in 2021. This program ensures city groundwater sources are regularly monitored to provide a high-quality water supply.

By monitoring how water flows underground and where potential sources of contaminants are located, the city can be better prepared to respond in the event of an emergency or contamination.

The city continues to review land use applications to ensure development will not have a negative impact on groundwater resources. New developments are being encouraged to maintain a no-net-loss in aquifer recharge.

Treatment & Purification

The primary treatment methods for water supplied to Kent customers are chlorination, fluoridation and pH adjustment.

• Chlorine is used for disinfection of the water supply. Chlorine kills germs and microorganisms that may be in the water supply and acts as a protective barrier from any recontamination while water is in the distribution system. The average chlorine residual in drinking water is 0.92 parts per million (ppm).
• Sodium Fluoride is added to the water supply to aid in the prevention of tooth decay.
• Fluoride levels are maintained at an average of 0.72 ppm.
• Sodium Hydroxide is added to the water supply to raise pH levels. pH levels, which are a measurement of acidity, are adjusted to make the water less corrosive on plumbing and reduce the amount of lead and copper that can dissolve into drinking water.

Water Quality Report

Kent provides its annual Water Quality Report to all customers in compliance with federal and state drinking water regulations. The city’s primary water supplies come from either a spring or well drilled into an underground aquifer (a natural underground water reservoir).

To provide for future growth and water system demands, the city has partnerships with Tacoma Water, Covington Water District and Lakehaven Utility District to obtain water from the Green River through the Regional Water Supply System.

Kent also has a number of interties linking our water system with all our neighboring water providers including the cities of Auburn, Renton, Tacoma, and Tukwila as well as Lake Meridian Water District, Highline Water District and Soos Creek Water & Sewer District. By linking together, this group of water providers can work together to provide emergency service for each other.

Customers may notice slight taste differences due to the operation of these various sources and interties, but these water providers must meet the same rigorous standards as the City of Kent.

Water Conservation

Conserving water means using our water supply wisely and responsibly, and refraining from water pollution. This requires the use of strategies that includes reducing waste, preventing damage to water quality and improving water management. 

State law requires municipal water suppliers to use water more efficiently in exchange for water right certainty and flexibility to help meet future demand. The Legislature directed the Department of Health to adopt an enforceable Water Use Efficiency (WUE) program, which became effective on January 22, 2007.

The city formally adopted water use efficiency goals in 2007 via the City Council Public Works Committee and last updated our WUE Program as part of our 2019 Water System Plan update.

The goals and objectives of the City’s Water Use Efficiency program are as follows...

• Reduce water used by public agencies (e.g., city facilities, schools, etc.) between June and August by 0.5 percent each year.
• Reduce multi-family residential water consumption by 1% per year.
• Maintain water loss at less than 6 percent per year (Municipal Water Law standard is 10 percent). Water loss (unaccounted-for water) is an inherent element of water system management which can never be eliminated entirely due to meter inaccuracies, water theft and undetected system leakage.

Conservation Rebates

You can start saving water by making smart choices at home, like using water and energy efficient machines. Using simple water conservation tips can help reduce the usage of water by more than half. Committing to just a bit of effort can make all the difference. Even in the first month, you will benefit from reduced water bills by saving water.

The city also offers a $50 mail-in rebate for Kent water customers who replace 5-gallon toilets with water-conserving ones, and a $75 mail-in rebate for Kent water customers who purchase Energy Star-certified washing machines. Learn more about these rebates here. Puget Sound Energy also offers rebates for energy efficiency upgrades you do in your home.

Park Irrigation

The city utilizes an irrigation software system to manage over 17 park locations.  The system produces a variety of reports for Kent staff which includes station history reports, a place for staff to see an overview of how each station irrigates, a water management report that shows the amount of water being saved monthly, and much more. 

Irrigation controllers track water flow, evapotranspiration, rain, wind, and soil moisture. The system also deploys an array of sensors to feed daily, real-time, onsite data to City staff. The result is automatic calculations and smart field actions that save water, time, and money.

Conserving water means using our water supply wisely and responsibly. As every individual depends on water for livelihood, The City must learn how to keep our limited supply of water pure and away from pollution. Keeping our water supply safe and pure will protect the water for the generations to come