The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

DAYTON – Don’t panic, says Dayton Public Works Superintendent Jim Costello. Washington may be locked in a record-breaking snowpack drought, but Dayton’s city wells are at the same level as they have been since 1982, he told the Dayton City Council last week.

But don’t get complacent either, Costello added.

“We are hammering the heck out of water in this community,” he told council. “And we can’t predict the future of our water. We’re pumping millions of gallons.”

And how has our usage looked recently, the council wanted to know. “There’s been a big increase in our water usage,” Costello said.

The city has pamphlets at city hall with information on how to conserve water. Costello implored residents and business owners to read them and try to cut back on water use.