About your drinking water

Published 1:30 am Friday, June 12, 2026

PROVIDING CLEAN, SAFE water is one of our city’s most important responsibilities. Last year, our system delivered more than 800 million gallons of water to meet the health and fire protection needs of our community.

This month, I want to share a little about where that water comes from, what makes it safe and how we can all help protect this vital resource.

Port Angeles’ water is sourced from the Elwha River, where the city’s Ranney Well is located. Water is pumped from the well to the city’s water treatment plant, which has the capacity to treat up to 10.2 million gallons per day.

Before reaching your tap, the water goes through a comprehensive treatment process to remove impurities and ensure it meets all safety standards.

Once treated, it is stored in one of four reservoirs and distributed through nearly 200 miles of pipeline to serve homes, schools and businesses across the city of Port Angeles and urban growth areas.

This is made possible by the Water Division, which manages our system around the clock.

Six certified water treatment plant operators maintain the plant and reservoirs seven days a week, 365 days a year. They conduct hundreds of water quality tests, routinely taking samples from both source and distribution locations and submitting them to state-certified labs to verify results.

Supporting this work is the water distribution maintenance crew, who keeps water flowing throughout our community. Their responsibilities include upgrading service lines, repairing leaks, installing new meters and performing routine water main flushing. Last year alone, the crew replaced 80 aging and failing water meters and repaired numerous leaks to reduce water loss and ensure continued service for our customers.

At the same time, our city continues to invest in upgrades to aging water and wastewater infrastructure. This is a long-term effort, and we are committed to making these improvements responsibly. Projects are evaluated based on need and potential value to identify opportunities that deliver the greatest impact.

When possible, these efforts are integrated with other infrastructure improvements, such as transportation and wastewater utility work, to maximize efficiency.

These projects are a direct investment in the protection of our water resources for future generations.

Just as important as protecting and maintaining our infrastructure is water conservation, which requires a community effort.

Our community consumes between 2 and 4 million gallons of water each day. Dry conditions are expected this summer, and the Department of Ecology has declared a statewide drought for a fourth consecutive year. These conditions can place strain on our local water supply, making conservation imperative. Reducing water use helps protect this important resource, and even small changes can make an impact.

Here are a few simple ways to conserve:

• Repair leaks as soon as possible. If your faucet is leaking at a rate of one drop per second, you can waste 75 gallons or more per week.

• Replace older toilets with low-flush models. Pre-1980 toilets use between 4.5 to 7.0 gallons of water per flush.

• Don’t let water run while brushing your teeth or shaving.

• Water your lawn during the evening or early morning hours to avoid large losses to evaporation.

We offer residents free water-saving devices including low-flow showerheads and faucet aerators, along with rebates for rain barrels and rain garden materials. These programs help households reduce their water use while lowering utility costs. More information can be found on our website.

Finally, each summer, our city publishes a Consumer Confidence Water Quality Report. This is also available online for anyone who would like a closer look at the water quality and treatment process.

To view the most recent report and learn more about our conservation programs, please visit www.cityofpa.us/water.

I welcome your questions and feedback. If there’s a topic you’d like to see covered in a future column, please email me.

________

Nathan West is the City Manager for Port Angeles. He can be reached at nwest@cityofpa.us.