PORT TOWNSEND — The Port Townsend Paper Corp. is scheduled to restart operations tonight after a four-day maintenance shutdown timed to also hold down water usage.
All of the mill’s 298 employees were on the job during the shutdown addressing safety and maintenance issues, said Kevin Scott, the mill’s environmental officer.
The shutdown is an annual event that usually occurs in November but was pushed up to address the current water shortage.
The shutdown began Oct. 4 and continued through the week. During this time, there was no visible discharge of steam from the facility’s smokestacks.
November normally sees heavier rainfall, so the mill moved the shutdown to October, when water levels are usually lower.
During the shutdown, the mill used about 2 million gallons of water daily, compared with the approximately 10 million gallons needed daily for its operation.
This level is down from about 15 million gallons a year ago due to the implementation of water conservation measures.
In response to drought conditions, the Port Townsend City Council on Aug. 3 approved Stage 1 water restrictions that include requiring outdoor watering on alternate days.
With the restriction, the city had a goal of a 10 percent water reduction, which it has more than accomplished, according to a presentation to the council Monday night by Public Works Director Ken Clow.
The city’s current usage level is about 958,000 gallons per day, a 13 percent reduction from when the water restrictions were implemented.
Aside from regular customers, three of the city’s largest water users — Memorial Field, the Port Townsend Golf Course and Fort Worden State Park — have significantly cut their water consumption, Clow said.
“The golf course is using less than half of what it used to, and Fort Worden is using around 70 percent,” Clow said.
The next stage of water conservation, which would require the mill to close until further notice, would be triggered if the water level in the Lords Lake reservoir fell to 3 feet.
The latest level, taken Wednesday, is 18 feet, 9 inches, according to City Manager David Timmons.
The difference between 3 feet and 18 feet is about 250 million gallons, which would last about 20 days if it were the only water source, Timmons said.
Currently, the city is using a combination of water from a reservoir and the Big Quilcene and Little Quilcene rivers.
Clow expressed optimism about the situation.
“Our plan is to have at least 70 million gallons in Lords Lake by the end of November,” Clow told the council.
“With current conditions, that doesn’t seem to be a problem at all.”
Timmons said the current 2 million-gallon daily usage will increase gradually to about 11 million as the mill ramps up again.
Right now, “everything is working well,” Scott said.
“We do this every year to make sure to clean the boilers and make sure that everything is functioning correctly.”
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Jefferson County Editor Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or cbermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
