Every day for 100 years, Tacoma Water staff have measured precipitation in the Green River Watershed. Current practice requires them to head to the weather station (circled in the first photo taken in the 1960s) at midnight, gather the precipitation that fell the day prior, and measure the total. Sometimes they have to melt snow to get the actual amount of water! In years past, the data was simply added to notebooks for analysis, now it’s entered into an online database that tracks averages, along with monthly and annual totals. The Green River has been Tacoma Water’s primary drinking water supply since 1913 so it’s vital we monitor precipitation to track historical shifts. The data helps us identify trends to forecast future water availability, especially for the dry summer months. MyTPU.org/WaterSupply. #TBT
