Your Water

Where does your water come from?

Precipitation falls in the Cascade Mountains during fall and winter and turns into snowpack. In the spring, rain, and snowmelt send a steady flow of clean water into the Sultan Basin Watershed, which covers more than 80 square miles. The watershed drains into the Spada Lake Reservoir, about 30 miles east of Everett.

The Spada Lake Reservoir was created in 1964 through a partnership between the City of Everett and Snohomish County PUD. This joint effort resulted in the construction of a dam on the Sultan River, which holds back over 50 billion gallons of rain and snow melt. This symbolizes our community's commitment to water conservation and ensuring a steady supply for our community.

Water quality in the Sultan Basin is carefully monitored. The watershed is patrolled to protect the naturally pristine water in Spada Reservoir, and human activities are limited to minimize the impact on water quality.

From Spada Lake Reservoir, the water flows through approximately 7 miles of tunnels and pipelines to Everett’s Water Treatment Facility at the Chaplain Reservoir. Water is then filtered and disinfected to flow through transmission lines. The transmission lines serve most of Snohomish County. Two of these transmission lines can be seen from the trestle on Highway 2 east of Everett.