PORT TOWNSEND — The Port Townsend City Council has taken the first step in the implementation of water conservation measures that could lead to a paper mill shutdown and eventually to water rationing if the drought continues.
These procedures, which now limit outdoor watering to alternate days, require the city, residential and business water users and Port Townsend Paper Corp. mill officials to closely monitor and decrease water consumption.
While these measures are in reaction to the current emergency, they could continue if this winter, like last winter, ends in no snowpack in the Olympic Mountains.
“We need to be planning ahead,” said City Manager David Timmons at Monday’s council meeting, where the conservation measures were unanimously approved, with Stage 1 restrictions going into effect immediately.
“We’ll need to have long-term measures in place instead of just short-term bursts that get us through the current crisis.”
Stage 1 of the three-stage water conservation plan aims to reach targets of a 10 percent reduction in water use within the city and a 15 percent cutback in consumption for the Port Townsend Paper mill — which, as the county’s largest private employer with 295 workers, it already has achieved.
Residential users are allowed to water only on alternate days that correspond to their addresses: Odd- or even-numbered street addressed are to water on corresponding odd- or even-numbered calendar dates.
There will be no proactive enforcement of the regulations. Cases will be investigated if the city receives a complaint about illicit watering from another party, according to Ken Clow, public works director.
The continuation or cessation of conservation measures will require council action, and the matter will be an agenda item for every City Council meeting until the crisis is over, according to City Clerk Joanna Sanders, ensuring the council will address the matter at least twice a month.
Water customers in Port Townsend use less than 2 million gallons per day, with the Port Townsend Paper mill the largest single user of city water.
The mill has lowered its consumption from 15 million to 10 million gallons daily and is working on greater conservation, Kevin Scott, director of sustainability at the mill, has said.
“We hope to get it down to 8 million,” Timmons said.
The city also assembled a list of 25 of the heaviest users and is contacting them about conserving water, Timmons said.
Aside from the mill, the top five water consumers and their use during July are the Port Townsend Golf Course, 2.8 million gallons; the Fort Worden Public Development Authority, 872,000 gallons; the Port Townsend School District, 543,000 gallons; Jefferson County Public Works (Memorial Field), 502,000 gallons; and Jefferson Healthcare, 448,000 gallons.
If Stage 2 comes into effect, the paper mill would cease operations, Timmons has said.
The trigger for Stage 2 would be Lords Lake — a Quilcene reservoir that, along with City Lake, serves as a backup city water supply — falling to 3 feet.
Lords Lake is now at about 37 feet, and Stage 2 isn’t expected to be reached until about October.
Stage 3 would result in water rationing.
Scott said the mill recycles each gallon of water seven times, with the goal of recycling it eight times to reduce consumption.
The mill has also spent $10 million on a new power boiler and has rented machinery to further reduce water use, Scott said.
He said water conservation costs money, which the mill is willing to invest unless it becomes cost-prohibitive.
A shutdown plan is under development, but its specifics — the duration, the level of production and worker layoffs — depend on the situation and cannot be predicted, he said.
If water rationing must be put into effect, the goal numbers would be for the city and the mill each to use 1 million gallons a day.
“We may need a million gallons a day during a transitional period, but it could be less than that if there is a total shutdown,” Scott said.
Water pressure is also an issue, he said, as a certain flow may be required.
Scott did not attend Monday’s meeting, where council members called for the mill to provide a plan on further reducing its water use.
“I think the mill needs to come forward and let the public know what’s going on and how they are going to meet these restrictions,” Councilwoman Michelle Sandoval said.
Added Councilwoman Pamela Adams: “We should be more concerned about the people of Port Townsend than the mill.
“They should implement these conservation measures sooner rather than later.”
The mill schedules a yearly maintenance shutdown in the fall.
Adams suggested it should take place in August or September rather than October or November, when the conservation process is more crucial.
In response, Scott said the maintenance shutdown times aren’t flexible; they occur when the necessary parts arrive.
This year’s shutdown is scheduled for October, he said.
Felix Vicino, mill human resources director, said a full staff is required during a maintenance shutdown.
Layoffs during an extended closure would depend on the scope, he said.
The company intends to inform the public of its conservation measures and will use a booth at the Jefferson County Fair, which is scheduled Aug. 14-16, to do so.
Scott said the mill has an intern working full time on water refining measures and “making sure we are doing everything we need to do.”
“We are going to do what’s best for our employees, the city and the community,” Vicino said.
“We will do everything we can based on the circumstances at the time.”
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Jefferson County Editor Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or cbermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
