In the midst of a summer that’s seen high consumption rates and dry weather — and coming off the heels of a winter that saw low snowpack — water officials in Western Washington are wary of water availability throughout the region.

The Sammamish Plateau Water and Sewer District activated its water shortage response plan Monday, joining the Cascade Water Alliance, Seattle Public Utilities, Tacoma Water and the city of Everett.

The Sammamish Plateau has seen its highest level of water consumption in nearly a decade, according to the Sammamish Plateau Water and Sewer District.

“Our June consumption was off the charts,” the District’s General Manager Jay Krauss said Monday.

Just from 2014, the District has seen an uptick of nearly 16 percent in water consumption. That is 116 million more gallons of water used this year over last.

Even still, the District’s “robust” and “diverse” water supply, Krauss said, can meet the demand the 55,000 people it serves on the Plateau and in Issaquah.

While still in the “advisory stage” — meaning the District is encouraging customers to be aware of their water use without imposing restrictions, voluntary or otherwise — the water shortage response plan is a precautionary measure to “ensure that the entire region is ready for a potential water shortage,” according to a Seattle Public Utilities announcement Monday.

“We have been closely monitoring our water production and aquifer levels,” Krauss said. “We are seeing water levels in July drop to what we normally see in September.”

Whereas the water supplies for the Everett, Seattle and Tacoma areas rely on snowpack, the major source of water for the cities of Sammamish and Issaquah comes from groundwater aquifers that rely on rainfall, Issaquah Water Manager Greg Keith said.

It is this distinction that has local officials confident the water supply will continue to provide for Sammamish and Issaquah residents leading up to the fall.

“Our wells are certainly not in any danger,” Keith said.

The city of Issaquah relies on four wells along the valley floor and it purchases some of its water from the Cascade Water Alliance.

Most of the Plateau is served by the Sammamish Plateau Water and Sewer District. The northern tip is supplied by Northeast Sammamish Sewer & Water District.

The Northeast District is not connected to Seattle Public Utilities or the Cascade Water Alliance and is not affected by the water advisory.

Residents are asked to conserve water by turning the faucet off while brushing their teeth, washing dishes or shaving.

Taking shorter showers and skipping the car wash are others ways to conserve water.

For more information on how to save water, visit www.savingwater.org.