PORT ANGELES — The city of Port Angeles has lifted a “do not drink” water order for all city utility customers that was in place for most of the day Sunday.
The order followed Friday’s tanker truck crash into Indian Creek during which petroleum products entered the water. Indian Creek flows into the Elwha River, which is the city’s main source for drinking water.
Water samples taken in the area were tested by the state Department of Health in coordination with the state Department of Ecology and the Federal Environmental Protection Agency, and it has been verified that the city tap water is safe to drink, according to an alert sent Sunday evening by the Clallam County Sheriff’s Office.
Some of the required tests involved out-of-state review, which had taken longer than expected, the Sheriff’s Office said.
That led to the city issuing a no-drink order early Sunday morning.
“At this time, the City’s water reservoirs have depleted to critical levels,” the alert said. “To maintain safe and consistent water pressure throughout the system, the City must begin producing additional water before all test results are available.”
The order applied to all properties connected to the city’s water system, whether they are located within city limits or outside of city limits, the alert said.
The city’s reservoirs were continuing to be recharged Sunday night, the Sheriff’s Office said. Voluntary water conservation is still encouraged to allow time for the reservoirs to be fully refilled.
“We are very grateful to our community for stepping up to conserve water over the weekend, and for the countless City staff, volunteers, community partners, and state and local government agencies who came together to ensure drinking water is available to residents when it’s needed,” Port Angeles City Manager Nathan West said in the Sheriff’s Office alert.
About 81 pallets of water were distributed to impacted customers on Sunday, the Sheriff’s Office said. Port Angeles Police officers, firefighters, parks and public works personnel hand-delivered water to Olympic Medical Center and other critical community facilities as well as residents unable to travel to the established distribution sites, the Sheriff’s Office said.
Clallam County PUD said in a Facebook post on Sunday that its water supply is safe.
“The PUD’s interconnection with the City of PA’s water system has been shut off since Friday morning,” the post said. “All PUD customers are being served solely from water sources that are unaffected by the tanker spill. Any drought water alerts that have been issued prior are still in effect but all systems are safe for consumption.”
The alert from the Sheriff’s Office instructed Port Angeles utility customers to not drink tap water. It said to use only bottled water for drinking, brushing teeth, washing dishes, making ice and food preparation until further notice. That also applies to pets, the alert said.
Do not try to treat the water, the alert warned. Potential contamination is related to chemicals, not bacteria, so boiling, freezing, filtering, adding chlorine or other disinfectant or letting water stand will not make the water safe for consumption.
Tap water is safe for bathing, showering, flushing toilets and doing laundry, the alert said.
Bottled water was distributed from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday while supplies lasted at Civic Field, 307 S. Race St., and at Shane Park, 613 S. G St. Supplies were based on household size, the alert said.
The incident began when a tanker truck went off the roadway and into Indian Creek on Friday morning.
Thomas Schaw, 58, of Port Angeles was traveling westbound on Highway 101 about 10:23 a.m. when he failed to negotiate a right-hand turn and left the roadway to the left, the State Patrol reported. The tanker went down a 200- to 300-foot embankment and landed on its top in the creek.
Schaw, who was wearing a seat belt, was transported to Olympic Medical Center, the State Patrol said.
Neither drugs nor alcohol were involved, the agency added.
The State Patrol said the cause was improper lane usage and added Schaw was cited for second-degree negligent driving.
Preliminary estimates on Saturday indicated 3,000 gallons of a mixture of gasoline and diesel, with the majority being gasoline, spilled into Indian Creek, the Sheriff’s Office stated in a joint press release.
Drivers were diverted around the closure using state Highway 112, WSDOT said.
Highway 101 remained closed until Saturday morning, the State Patrol said.
Air monitoring readings were not at a level above human health and safety on Saturday, but people in the area should still be mindful of symptoms like headaches, or dizziness and see medical attention if needed, the press release stated.
The Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe was expected to conduct shoreline assessments on Saturday to monitor for environmental impacts.
A unified command has been established, including the Environmental Protection Agency, Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe, state Department of Ecology, Clallam County Sheriff’s Office and Petro-Card. Other responding agencies and contractors include the state Department of Fish and Wildlife, Clallam 2 Fire-Rescue, Focus Wildlife and Republic Services.
Senior chemist Paul Burke of Libby Environmental, Inc., tests a water sample taken from the Elwha River at a mobile lab set up on Saturday outside the Clallam County Courthouse in Port Angeles. (Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News)
