PORT ANGELES — It’s OK to flush the toilet again, but you still can’t wade in the water. The city’s sewer system was functioning normally again late Wednesday afternoon, but 30 miles of beaches from Joyce to Sequim remain closed for swimming, wading and shellfishing.
The sewer main that broke late Monday morning, spilling up to four million gallons of sewage a day into Port Angeles Harbor, was repaired beginning early Wednesday morning.
The sewer system filtration system was recharged and the system operating as usual by late Wednesday afternoon.
New pipe a special order
The break was in an aging adapter pipe that bridged a 16-inch pipe and a 21-inch pipe at Pump Station No. 4 near Front and Cherry streets.
City Water Superintendent Bill Beverford said the replacement pipe had to be manufactured especially for Port Angeles because the old one was obsolete and no longer available.
The new pipe, a “super-coupler,” allowed workers to fix the break without digging up an extended area of the waterfront, he said.
The pipe was made by Romac Industries in Bothell, said City Public Works Director Glenn Cutler. It was ordered through the distributor, the H.D. Fowler Co. of Bremerton.
It arrived in town at about 9 p.m. Tuesday and workers began repairs with the low tide early Wednesday morning.
Flush but don’t wade
After the system was up again, Cutler lifted restrictions designed to cut the amount of sewage introduced into the city’s system. Port Angeles residents can once again flush toilets and wash dishes and clothes with a clean conscience.
But restrictions on beach use still apply. Walking on the beach is fine but don’t touch the water, say officials.
Clallam County Environmental Health Director Andy Brastad said the 30 miles of beaches from Crescent Beach to Dungeness Spit will remain closed for at least a week.
“I don’t know if it will extend longer than that. I don’t know when we will know,” Brastad said.
Brastad said he understands that many will want to enjoy the beaches during Memorial Day weekend, but he said that people should be careful to make no contact with the harbor water.
Environmental health employees will begin water quality monitoring today, Brastad said.
