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PUD Encourages Voluntary Water Conservation For Upper Fairview Water Customers
August 31, 2016

PUD #1of Clallam County (PUD) is asking water utility customers in the upper Fairview Water District to begin voluntary water conservation measures as a result of the area’s recent dry spell. This is a Stage 2 Water Alert from the PUD’s Drought Response Plan.

The Upper Fairview water district is located between O’Brien and Deer Park Roads, and uphill from about where the BPA transmission lines cross these roads to Township Line Road.

The key aspects of a Stage 2 Drought Response for customers include:

• Customers will be expected to voluntarily practice water conservation. The goal is to reduce total use by 5 percent.
• The drought response will conclude when Morse Creek streamflows consistently rise above 25 cfs.

The Upper Fairview Water System is served by water from Morse Creek and when streamflows are low there is need to address the situation. It should be noted that the PUD has successfully taken measures to proactively address the Morse Creek low streamflow issues that affect the upper Fairview Water District. In 2015, this same area saw voluntary water conservation measures requested in early May of 2016, and ultimately ended up in a Stage 4 water situation. That is not expected to happen this year as a result of the PUD’s proactive measures.

In 2015 the PUD installed a pumping system whereby well water is pumped uphill to replace the Morse Creek water supply during the low streamflow period.

Tom Martin, PUD Water Superintendent, says, “We were pleased with the results of this system last year, and are happy to see it is working as intended during the drier times of the year and continue to work on making this a permanent backup system. Voluntary water conservation is still necessary in this area, and with everyone doing that we can hopefully get through to the next wetter period.”

There are many ways PUD customers can work to conserve water. Many of these tips have been shared in PUD quarterly HotLine Newsletters. These tips can also be found by clicking here.

The Status of Other PUD Water Systems:

Lower Fairview, Evergreen and Carlsborg Water Districts depend on groundwater. Groundwater levels are currently high, which is normal for this time of year.

Gales Addition, Monroe and Mt. Angeles Water Districts depend on purchased water supplied by the City of Port Angeles. We share their water source, which is the Elwha River. Currently, there is no drought response called for in this area.

The west-county water districts (Clallam Bay-Sekiu and Island View) may experience drought-related problems if dry weather persists during September.