Bellevue residents have voluntarily cut their water use by 14 percent over the last month in response to the abnormally dry spring and summer.

“Bellevue residents and businesses have done their part in helping the region cut water use by 14 percent over the last four weeks – exceeding requests by water providers to cut use by 10 percent,” according to a news release from the city of Bellevue.

Despite the reduction and a handful of recent rainstorms, officials are warning residents that continued water conservation is strongly encouraged.

“While the recent rains have helped, it has not been enough to return water supplies to normal levels,” the city said in the statement, adding that the region still needs to replenish regional water supplies for people and fish.

The region experienced it’s all-time driest May-July and unusually hot weather throughout the summer.

Bellevue and cities throughout Puget Sound originally asked citizens to voluntarily reduce their water usage by 10 percent on Aug. 11.

Asking citizens to voluntarily reduce their water use was the second in a four-stage water shortage plan used by the Cascade Water Alliance, which supplies water to Bellevue and other Eastside cities. The first step was a water advisory, which was issued on July 27.

“At this time we are not thinking about introducing a mandatory reduction, but we definitely need people to continue to find ways to reduce their water use,” said Bellevue Utilities spokesperson Michael May.

The decision to enter a mandatory curtailment is up to Seattle Public Utilities, which provides water to the Cascade Water Alliance. In the case that SPU called for a mandatory reduction, the Cascade Water Alliance (including Bellevue) would likely follow suit.

To further conserve water, May recommended residents turn towards indoor solutions such as upgrading to water-conserving fixtures and fixing leaking pipes. “The weather had cooled, so maybe now is the time to think about ways that people can save water indoors,” he said.