PORT ANGELES — Businesses at the HarborTowne Mall in downtown Port Angeles were allowed to reopen on Thursday after the basement of the building was flooded on Wednesday.
Although the basement is vacant, the Clallam County Health Department told the Port Angeles Fire Department to have the businesses at street level close at about 7:30 p.m. Wednesday because of fears that sewage might have mixed with the water, said Capt. Jamie Mason of the fire department.
The health department cleared the restaurants to re-open on Thursday, said Linda Koncicky, building manager.
“There was no sewer leakage,” she said.
Thai Pepper was open on Thursday night. India Oven displayed a sign saying it would re-open today.
Other businesses in the mall are Spicer’s Delicatessen and Grocery and Real Estate Marketplace.
The water was ankle deep in some places on Wednesday in the building at Lincoln Street and Railroad Avenue. It had drained by Thursday afternoon.
The Fire Department believes a disconnected pipe was to blame, Mason said, but Jeff Young, city wastewater division superintendent, said the cause was the city’s combined water and sewer system backing up because of heavy rain earlier this week.
Koncicky said the basement of the building floods every time there is a period of heavy rainfall.
“We never had it for so long,” she said.
Koncicky said there is some water damage, but she wasn’t sure to what extent.
The HarborTowne Mall is at risk, Young said, because it is at one of the lowest points in the city.
Koncicky said she’d like a city official to tell her what causes the flooding.
“It needs to be fixed,” she said.
Young said the city’s wastewater treatment plant ran at capacity earlier this week due to the high amounts of water runoff entering the sewer.
“We were pumping all that we could,” he said. “Everything is overtaxed.”
Despite that, Young said that all of the water was treated, and the city’s pumps were operating properly.
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Reporter Tom Callis can be reached at 360-417-3532 or at tom.callis@ peninsuladailynews.com.
