The Jefferson County Public Utility District wants to buy some of the city of Port Townsend’s water, but city officials aren’t sure they want to sell.
Jefferson County PUD Commissioner Wayne King has long said that the utility, as the provider of water and sewer services to county residents, is interested in the city’s seemingly abundant water supply.
The city operates its own water and sewer utility, separate from the PUD.
“Our deal is to look for water for the people,” King said. “That’s what we do.
“We are working to find more water by raising the levels of lakes and investigating reverse osmosis [from sea water].
“One thing we want to do is to purchase city water and test an aquifer storage and recharge in the area.”
King explained that an aquifer storage and recharge meant pumping water back into the ground of a watershed in an effort to improve long-term water availability.
“What were trying to do with the study is see if it will work and if it is feasible,” King said.
“This would not just help the county. This could help the city residents economically as well.”
King said the city’s water supply is the obvious place to get the water from because of the availability.
Difficulties
Port Townsend Mayor Michelle Sandoval said that the city was willing to discuss such an idea, but that the city’s water asset comes with a few twists that might make such a deal difficult.
“Our water comes from the Big Quilcene and Little Quilcene rivers,” Sandoval said. “It has forever — since the town first got water.”
Sandoval said the supply has been abundant in the past, but that the situation could change because withdrawals of the water are being monitored by federal agencies.
Historically, the city has operated under a special use easement from the U.S. Forest Service to run pipes across the forest land from the rivers to the city.
However, when the agreement was up for renegotiation 10 years ago, the Forest Service and National Marine Fisheries Service became concerned about summer-run chum habitat.
The fisheries service issued an opinion in 2006 recommending water withdrawals be cut off between August and October each year to help the chum.
“If this shutdown were implemented, it would lead to the closure of the Port Townsend Paper Corp. mill,” Sandoval said.
The city takes approximately two million gallons of water from the system daily and the mill — Jefferson County’s largest employer with about 300 workers — takes between 11 million and 15 million each day, she said.
The city and mill pull water from different lakes, but the water is from the same source.
“The mill helped with getting the pipes in for that, and so they too get a part of that water,” Sandoval said.
“The problem is if we lose the rights to the water, then we’re in trouble.”
Temporary solution
As a way of temporarily solving the problem, an agreement was reached between the city and the federal agencies in May 2008 that the city and the mill could continue to draw water from the rivers for five years while the situation was monitored.
After the five-year period, the situation would be re-evaluated.
Sandoval said that because the city’s water withdrawal is being monitored so closely, any deals could potentially put the city — and the mill — in a dangerous position.
“At this point we don’t have the full permit yet,” Sandoval said.
“We have to continually monitor our usage for five years to make sure there is enough water coming out of the stream for the fish.
“We want to keep the same level as we’re at right now, because if they say we are creating biological issues for the chum they might pull our permit.
“They will be looking at the data and we have to be very cautious.”
Still, Sandoval said she would like to hear the PUD’s proposal for an aquifer recharge and was willing to discuss other possible partnerships with the PUD.
“This discussion will continue,” she said.
“The council will continue to be briefed about the water issues.
Joint meet coming up
Water in Jefferson County — including the PUD’s interest in city water — was the topic of a Jan. 29 meeting at the Olympia office of Rep. Lynn Kessler, D-Hoquiam, House majority leader and a representative of the 24th District, which includes Jefferson, Clallam and part of Grays Harbor counties.
Attending were Sandoval, King, Jefferson County Commissioner David Sullivan and private citizen Norm MacLeod.
King and Sandoval said they will discuss it again at a joint meeting between the City Council and the PUD commissioners some time in the next month.
“We will continue talking,” Sandoval said, “but we’re going to be cautious to protect the city’s interests.”
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Reporter Erik Hidle can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at erik.hidle@peninsuladailynews.com
