Stage 2 Water Emergency declared for Port Angeles
Port Angeles City officials will be declaring a Stage 2 Water Emergency today. Stage 2 means voluntary reduction of water consumption.
Public Works and Utilities Director Craig Fulton said:
“We need to be very clear to the people. The river will not run dry, and we will not be running out of any drinking water. There will be plenty of water for municipal consumption, but there will be impacts that will be occurring to fish viability [in the Elwha River, where the city draws its water].”
He also said Stage 3 emergency restrictions will probably be enacted by mid-August. Stage 3 involves mandatory restrictions on watering of lawns and gardens.
posted by Tom Harper at 2:11 PM
43 Comments:
Yes. And, upon what are those assurances based? Historic data that has no bearing on current conditions.
So, maybe you can tell me what the City is going to do, if, based upon the Public Works Director's assurances, concerned people spend money on things, their businesses, etc, and the river goes dry?
The best you'll get, if you get ANY response, is "Ooops". You will be out the money, of course.
You will note no mention of storage capacities. No mention of impacts to City services when Nippon shuts down.
Just assurances based on old information.
Meanwhile, the flows in the river drop by millions of gallons a day. And THAT is the verified reality.
477 cfs today. June 17th.
The river has dropped over 200 cfs in the last couple of weeks. It is less than 25% of normal, at lows never recorded for this time of year.
30 days from today will be Mid July. No rains expected. No snow pack to replenish rivers. Hot, dry weather expected.
60 days from now will be mid August. No rains expected. No snow pack to replenish rivers. Hot, dry weather expected.
90 days from now will be mid September. No rains expected. No snow pack to replenish rivers. Hot, dry weather expected.
120 days from now will be mid October. No rains expected. No snow pack to replenish rivers. Hot, dry weather expected.
How does NOAA see the forecast for the region?
http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/predictions/multi_season/13_seasonal_outlooks/color/t.gif
Yeah, I can see why the City says everything will be fine.
Did Fulton mention anything about cutting back on Nippon's industrial water use?
The municipal drinking water system uses less than 3 million gallons/day. Nippon is entitled to use 20 million gallons/day (but maybe uses less with one of its paper production lines down now).
Imagine if we still had the two lakes behind the dams still. We could pump Nippons 20 million gallons back up above the higher dam and simply keep recycling the water for the fish and the humans. They make fish cannons that could have gotten the fish above the dams. Norm Dicks legacy of stupity lives on. Meanwhile olé Normy baby is making bank as a consultant in D.C. from all the folks he greased for decades while we are stuck with the problem his legacy building efforts have made. Just think, the electricity from the dams could have powered huge pumps to recycle the water. Now its going to be burn baby burn.
The wealthy could care less about voluntary reduction of water consumption.
Ya gotta laugh. Two headlines in the PDN.
One is, Port Angeles sees no problems with running out of water.
The other:
"OUTDOORS: Low water levels close short stretch of Sol Duc River at hatchery"
A water storage tank merchant could make a quick buck.
Yes, storage tanks will become a good business, here.
As you see, the City and it's Public Works Director made no mention of the data that shows the region's climate has been turning drier and warmer for decades now. You might have attended the presentation a month or two ago that documented the glaciers melting up in the park, just south of town. Other studies and reports confirm what we are experiencing now, is the "new normal".
Sure, the weather fluctuates, and there will be snow, and snow pack in future years. But the studies show we cannot count on having a usable snow pack going into the future.
But, what do we get from the City? Spend millions on fake beaches and ignore the future.
The City has such a great track record on issues facing the City.
What's normal? The most recent alpine glaciers in the Olympics formed just 2500 short geologic years ago. We people are the more recent arrivals counting on a static system. Every species has its climax.
It is raining right now. More to come it looks like
Today, from Bloomberg Business:
"Last month was the hottest May on record, and the past five months were the warmest start to a year on record, according to new data released by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. It's a continuation of trends that made 2014 the most blistering year for the surface of the planet, in records going back to 1880."
Where is the plan? Are we just going to wait until we are in a disaster situation, before we acknowledge there is a problem?
Yes. Yesterday, the Elwha was at 477 cfs. This morning it dropped to 431 !!
It drops 10% of it's total flows in less than 24 hours, it isn't even the start of summer, and the Public Works Director thinks it won't run dry?
Does this guy know anything? What is he doing? Reading tea leaves?
Looking at what this Port Angeles official is saying, it is no wonder the city can't do anything right.
Saw this in today's paper: "Stage 5: A regional-disaster declaration could be declared, prompting water rationing and emergency water distribution."
That is when we line up at Civic field to get our ration of water, via emergency water distribution.
Your water update: As of 3 pm, the flow has dropped again. Now at 425 cfs.
52 cfs drop in 24 hours. THAT is impressive!
Hey kids! The river still keeps on dropping. This morning it is at 408.
Can we get a betting pool going? Will it get into the 300 range before the official start of summer?
403, and it still isn't summer.
If an elevated stage is announced for the water shortage, does anyone out there know if there are penalties involved for that forbidden water use and who is tasked with enforcement?
We did it! Thanks to all the positive vibes out there, we were able to see the water levels in the Elwha set new all time records, and to get below 400 cfs BEFORE the start of summer.
Congratulations. The River is at 392 cfs. Dropped almost 100 cfs since Thursday. Dropped another 17 cfs since yesterday morning.
And, the Dungeness also set new records, now at 167 cfs.
But, don't worry, because the PDN is telling us everything is just fine. And we know from past issues the City and PDN always tell us the truth.
We'll find out real soon BECAUSE: Summer begins today. Four months of hot, dry weather ahead.
Plan accordingly.
From the PDN today: "Forks
On the West End, Forks takes its water from two wells. Levels in both are lower than usual for mid-June, Rod Fleck, city planner/attorney, said Wednesday.
The levels are similar to what is usually seen in late July, Fleck said.
“July and August will be real interesting,” he said."
But, the PUD tells us that the West End isn't reliant on snow pack, and the rainfall was near normal, so they don't have anything to worry about.
" July and August will be real interesting"? We're 10 days away from July.
How about September and October? They expected to be "interesting", too?
The PUD is saying the same thing for ground water around Port Angeles and Sequim. Is it going to be "interesting" for the wells around here, too?
Any bets on how long before Nippon shuts down?
Elwha now at 380 cfs. Was 477 5 days ago.
5 days from now 280 ?
@11:01... 2017, maybe early 2018. That's my bet.
@ Anon 2:34
Interesting. I'm guessing within 30 days.
477 cfs 5 days ago.
380 today.
280 in 5 days?
180 in 10 days?
80 in 15 days?
0 in 20 days?
@6:36 do you mean temporarily or permanently? They received a grant which requires them to stay open until 2017. I guess that sometime around there they will shut down permanently.
@Anon 9:58
Seeing as the water situation is getting significantly worse by the day, literally, it is very likely Nippon will shut down in a couple weeks. Two, three? And, since it will be roughly 4 months before the rains return, it is a pretty safe bet it will be shut for at least that long.
How will that impact Nippon? I'm guessing they have contracts to fulfill. Being shut down for 4 months or more (long range forecasts for the region say hot dry extends late into fall, and next winter is supposed to be a lot like this last one, but drier. We'll see if those forecasts are worth anything.), how will that affect their commitment to keeping the plant going? Will they just say "Okay, enough is enough", and leave it shut?
We'll see.
At the mid-June meeting of the Clallam PUD, they discussed adopting a policy to interconnect to electric generating facilities rated up to 20 MgW. That sounds like Nippon is a possibility. Making electricity takes less water than making paper.
They would lose a substantial amount of money if they closed. However they obviously can go (and have gone) on furlough, and they could run bare minimum with a skeleton crew and still be "open". I'm guessing that's what will happen through 2015-2016.
What's sad is it's more a question of "when" than "if" they close... Is the city preparing for this at all?
@All
387 today. The damn river isn't going to dry up in 20 days.
With all these very important issues, I find it so strange the city and PDN are not giving the public a "heads up". I think the public deserves to know how serious the situation is, so that they can make other plans, if they want to.
It is raining in Forks, and is supposed to rain today. Starting to sprinkle here at the airport area
Oh good! Problems solved. Nothing to worry about.
They will be lifting the burn ban and water alerts tomorrow.
At the rate it's been dropping over the last two months, the Elwha will run dry in early Jan. 2018. If the chemtrails don't get us all first.
Anonymous at 5:40 - that PUD meeting was in regards to solar panel installations on customer homes. Nothing to do with Nippon.
20 MgW threw me a loop. That's acres of solar panels.
No problems, everything is fine. We're all happy. Everything is wonderful.
The river is at one fifth of where it "normally" is at this time of year. It is at half volume of the lowest ever recorded for this date. The volumes in the river now are the same as the lowest point, at the end of the summer, when the rains start to bring water back to the region.
We have 4 months of no rain, and hot weather ahead.
Why would anybody be concerned?
It would be funny if the PUD couldn't flush their toilets in their new taj mahal offices in Carlsborg. What on earth makes these clowns think they need to waste money on such fancy digs when folks are finding it unbearable to pay their utility bills. Almost like they were a government agency or something.
Up above 400
"Up above 400" Right. Like that is a good sign? 400 is a fifth of where it would this time of year, "normally". 400 is about half of the lowest amount ever recorded for this date. It is just a week after the START of summer, with above average temperatures and less rainfall forecast through until next spring. 4 months of no significant amount of rain.
And, it is the same for the whole county.
Let's see what you're writing about, come September.
Or, how about today?
FORKS — Residents are being asked to voluntarily cut back on water use to try and slow rapidly falling water levels in city wells.
“Right now, the wells are where they are typically in late July or early August,” Rod Fleck, city planner and attorney, said Monday.
The city will be checking the wells every few days to monitor the fall of the aquifer levels, Fleck said.
City officials are hoping that voluntary water restrictions will be enough to prevent stricter action later.
In an official message to city residents, Mayor Bryon Monohon recommended the following:
■ Do not water lawns.
■ Water gardens late at night or early in the morning or install a drip system.
■ Do not water during windy weather.
■ Check sprinklers to make sure they are not watering the sidewalk, driveway or street.
The Quillayute Valley School District has already agreed to reduce water use, Fleck said.
The district will not water lawns and fields, with the exception of the football field and newly planted trees, he said.
Fleck said a day of recent rainfall has not made a difference in the water supply.
“The rain we got Sunday, all it did was knock down the dust,” he said.
The National Weather Service forecast has no rain in the 10-day forecast, and includes continued unusually warm, dry weather.
Public Works Director Dave Zellar warned it may be October or later before the kind of rain needed for relief arrives.
It will take least three weeks of winter-heavy rain to begin raising aquifer levels, Zellar said.
Last modified: June 29. 2015 7:17PM
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