FORKS — Water supplies in city wells have reached critical levels, and mandatory emergency water restrictions are now in place for city water customers in and around Forks.
Ivan Cowles, Forks water superintendent, determined Friday that a water emergency exists, and the city declared water use restrictions the same day.
The restrictions apply to all users of the city water system, both inside and outside city limits.
When Cowles went to check the city’s wells last Tuesday to determine the city’s water situation, he came back “a very pale color,” Mayor Bryon Monohon said Monday.
“We knew at that point we needed to do something,” Monohon said.
The mandatory restrictions follow voluntary water restrictions implemented in late June in preparation for a forecasted dry summer.
Monohon said recent rainfall helped boost water levels in nearby rivers for salmon runs, but it was not enough to raise the groundwater supplying the wells, which he said was extremely low for mid-September.
Five wells
Forks gets its water from five wells scattered through the city and does not draw on any river water, Monohon said.
One of the wells has already been shut down. That well goes dry every summer, he said.
Rain forecast to fall this week isn’t going to make a difference in groundwater levels.
“It will take two or three weeks of rain to begin to get back to normal,” Monohon said.
Under the emergency restriction, only “essential water uses” are allowed.
Essential uses include water for commercial horticultural operations and watering home gardens, according to city water ordinances.
Barred uses
The following water uses are prohibited:
■ Commercial and residential lawn watering.
■ Filling of swimming pools and hot tubs.
■ Washing building exteriors or pavement by pressure washer or water hose.
■ Washing commercial and private vehicles, with the following exceptions:
Private vehicles may be washed weekly at a water-controlled car wash facility.
Commercial log trucks, logging equipment and road maintenance equipment may be washed twice a week as required by dust abatement programs.
The city urged efficient, low-water-use methods for those excepted tasks.
Violations of the restrictions imposed are misdemeanors with fines of up to $500, according to city ordinances.
Restrictions elsewhere
Water restrictions also apply in other areas of the North Olympic Peninsula.
Despite increased rainfall this month, the region is still in a severe drought, and restrictions are expected to continue through October or November.
Port Angeles
Port Angeles water customers and Clallam County Public Utility District neighborhoods east of the city served by Port Angeles water remain on Stage 3 restrictions put into place Aug. 5.
Under Stage 3 limits, water customers with even-numbered addresses can water outdoors only on even-numbered dates.
Residents with odd-numbered addresses should water only on odd-numbered days.
Port Angeles receives its water from the Elwha River, which drops to very low flows — 300 cubic feet per second or lower — between storms.
Stage 3 restrictions also will remain in place for the Clallam PUD’s Fairview Water District.
The district is using two new wells that are expected to be sufficient, but the PUD is remaining cautious in its first year of operating them.
A Neah Bay system with 40 customers is also on Stage 3 water restrictions.
Port Townsend
Limited reservoir capacity in Port Townsend means Stage 1 restrictions remain in place, mainly due to operations at Port Townsend Paper Corp.
The paper mill is using more water than usual due to mechanical problems, according to Port Townsend officials.
The mill had reduced its water consumption from 15 million to 10 million gallons daily by early August and planned to reduce use more before the mechanical problems began, mill operators have said.
Port Townsend is in Stage 1 of a three-stage water conservation plan that went into effect Aug. 3.
Residential users are allowed to water only on alternate days that correspond to their addresses: Odd- or even-numbered street addresses are to water on corresponding odd- or even-numbered calendar dates.
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Senior Staff Writer Paul Gottlieb, Jefferson County Editor Charlie Bermant and Reporter Arwyn Rice contributed to this report.
