ODW service level remains reduced

As DOH’s Office of Drinking Water recovers from our COVID incident management team activation and response, we hoped to improve response times and level of service to you. However, with staff vacancies and a new work environment, our service level remains reduced. Because we prioritize inquiries by health risk, we might delay some submittal processing and response times.

Although we have filled 21 vacant positions within the last year, there still are a significant number of open positions.

We are moving to a permanent remote work environment, and with that change we are evaluating better ways to meet our commitment to you. As part of this new way to work, we are closing the Kent office by end of July. This reduces costs and our environmental footprint. Our Northwest Regional Office (NWRO) team will remain intact and continue to serve the region.

Additional changes to how our office will work:

  • Mail: In the short term, we will forward all NWRO mail to Tumwater. We will scan and send it electronically to the appropriate NWRO staff.
  • Files/Public Records: We will scan all water system files over the next several months. There will be some limited availability to these records during this process.
  • Meeting in person: Agency buildings are beginning to re-open for staff. While we won’t have a Kent Office, we are securing space for staff and stakeholders to meet in person. We'll know more about locations and availability in the coming weeks and will share that information.
  • Phones: Staff phone numbers will remain the same for now. Some staff will swap their current desk phones for cell phones. Both numbers will work for about four months. We will update our website, signature blocks, and publications with any updated phone numbers.

To meet the move out date next month, NWRO staff will focus on packing and changing to an electronic environment. This demands time and capacity from staff as we adjust to new ways of doing business. The move also impacts our current ability to provide information and respond to questions about water systems. Looking forward, this project will result in faster service and easier access.

We are committed to ensuring and promoting the value of safe and reliable drinking water to all people of Washington, now and for generations to come. We will do our best during this transition to meet our commitments for plan review, inspections, and emergency and complaint response.

If you have questions or concerns about this transition, email ODW Field Operations Manager Sheri Miller or call 509-407-7160.