PORT ANGELES — City workers were to begin pumping water from Shane Park between Sixth and Eighth streets in Port Angeles today after a build-up of rainwater flooded the playground area.
Mike Healy, director of Public Works and Utilities, said crew members were busy on Thursday cleaning up the debris left by the fire that destroyed the Dream Playground early Wednesday morning. Two pumps are planned to be working at Shane Park today and through the weekend, he said.
Water will be pumped into a nearby storm drain, which will take time due to the capacity limitations of the drain.
“We’ll do our best to get it done as fast as we can,” Healy said.
The park will remain open for the duration of the work.
The playground is in a low spot, Healy said, and drainage is slow.
“There are some limited drainage in there because of a preponderance of clay soils,” he said.
Residents reported a smell coming from the water and Healy said a water sample had been taken to test for fecal material, but it’s not believed the water is contaminated.
Healy said the smell was likely a mix of water and grass.
There is no sanitary sewer in the area that is thought to be leaking, Healy said, and the only sewer infrastructure nearby is a drainage pipe buried well underground that was recently re-lined.
Healy said public works will draft a project for the city’s capital facilities plan to address the flooding issue at the park.
Shane Park was closed for repairs in 2022 after problems arose with the park’s artificial play surface. It reopened in June.
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Reporter Peter Segall can be reached at peter.segall@peninsuladailynews.com.
