LETTER: Water worries

Published 1:30 am Saturday, June 6, 2026

Recently, the PDN ran two articles concerning major water issues.

One centered on a city in Texas but highlighted significant water shortfalls throughout the west. The other hit closer to home with the issuing of a Stage 2 water alert for the Clallam County Public Utility District No. 1.

Many areas in Washington state are in a continuing drought situation.

Lower rain totals, shrinking snow caps and lowering aquifer levels are resulting in growing water shortages and potential critical future water issues.

During recent city-level meetings, certain water studies have been used to assure us that Sequim should have enough water to support our planned growth. These water studies lack currency and may not reflect actual water availability.

Last year, our neighborhood received a letter from our water company announcing a water shortage and requesting residents to conserve water. This is the same water company that will be a water provider to the West Bay project.

The question to ask is, if we are lacking water now, what will an additional 600 homes do to water availability?

I would hope that, going forward, our city and county leadership will have the courage to make the tough decisions concerning growth and the critical resources necessary to support that growth.

I believe that water is our No. 1 resource issue, for now and in the future.

We need to update our studies on water availability and use those studies to help plan sensible growth.

Bob Travis

Sequim