CLALLAM BAY — Customers of the Clallam Bay-Sekiu Water System must continue using bottled drinking water until at least Tuesday, Doug Nass, Clallam County Public Utility District general manager, said Wednesday.
That’s the earliest he expects a temporary water pipe to be approved for use as a replacement of a broken eight-inch water main that served the system’s 340 customers.
The break in the line that crosses underneath the Little Hoko River was discovered Tuesday morning when the water system’s reservoir levels began dropping.
A fire hose was installed Tuesday to provide a temporary bypass of the broken line.
“It was quite an effort from our guys working all night to get things back on line,” Nass said.
Nass said PUD crews are working around the clock to install a new eight-inch water line to bypass the existing pipe by Friday.
Nass said Wednesday afternoon that, even after the new water pipe is installed Friday morning, drinking water won’t be available.
Clallam County Health Department officials were concerned that water passing through the fire hose could have contaminated the water distribution system, he said.
The district must fill the water system’s reservoir for fire protection and flush the distribution system on Friday and Saturday, Nass said.
The district must take a water sample for testing Monday morning at the Clallam County Department of Health, he said.
“Then there’s an 18-hour wait for the go-ahead for Tuesday, assuming all is OK with the water samples,” Nass said.
