Clallam PUD issues alert for new water restrictions

By Olympic Peninsula News Group • September 10, 2024 4:30 pm

The Clallam County Public Utility District has declared a Stage 3 water alert for its Gales Addition, Mt. Angeles and Monroe water systems and has asked for mandatory outdoor restrictions.

The affected systems rely on purchased water supplied from the city of Port Angeles, which declared a Stage III Water Shortage on Sept. 9.

The declaration prohibits or limits non-essential water use.

The PUD is coordinating its drought response with the city as both utilities rely on the Elwha River as their water source.

The objective is to encourage customers to conserve water wherever possible and reduce water consumption.

Effective immediately, the following non-essential water uses are prohibited within the above referenced water systems:

• Washing sidewalks, walkways, driveways, parking lots, patios and other exterior paved areas by direct hosing, except as may be necessary to prevent or eliminate materials dangerous to public health and safety.

• Escape of water through breaks or leaks within the customer’s plumbing or private distribution system for any period of time beyond which such break or leak should reasonably have been discovered and corrected.

• Non-commercial washing of privately owned motor vehicles, trailers and boats, except from a bucket or hose using a shutoff nozzle for quick rinses.

• Lawn sprinkling and irrigation which allows water to run off or overspray the lawn area. Every customer is deemed to have knowledge of and control over his or her lawn sprinkling and irrigation at all times.

• Sprinkling and irrigation of lawns, ground cover or other plants between the hours of 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. or an odd-even rotation schedule. That means property addresses ending in odd numbers are permitted to sprinkle on odd-numbered days, and property addresses ending in even numbers are permitted to sprinkle on even-numbered days.

For more information on how to save water, go to wateruseitwisely.com.

Alerts on Clallam PUD’s other water systems include: A Stage 3 drought response for the Island View Water System; a Stage 2 drought response for the Clallam Bay/Sekiu Water System; and a Stage 2 drought response for the Fairview Water System.