PORT TOWNSEND — Weekend rain could at least delay a looming threat of a closure or partial shutdown of the Port Townsend Paper Company mill, if enough falls in the Quilcene basin.
Before the weekend’s precipitation, Public Works Director Ken Clow had said that the Lords Lake Reservoir had only enough reserves to satisfy the mill’s nearly 11 million-gallon daily needs and city needs for 10 days before stricter water conservation measures would be required.
The city of Port Townsend is now in Stage 1, which mandates alternate outdoor watering days, and has been since Aug. 4.
Stage 2 would kick in if the level of Lords Lake, which is now a little more than 15 feet, sank to three feet and would require the closure or a cutback by the mill, the county’s largest private employer with 298 workers.
Stage 3 would be put into effect if Lords Lake ran dry and the City Lake level reached 34 feet.
This would ensure a three-month water supply for consumers but would require the shutdown of the mill and all other “nonessential” customers.
Clow said last week that “a nice steady rain for several weeks” is the only thing that would alleviate the situation and allow the city to relax water conservation restrictions.
A heavy rain for only a few days wouldn’t have a significant impact, he said.
As of 3:30 p.m. Saturday, 0.87 inches of rain had fallen in the Quilcene area, according to the National Weather Service.
According to the latest water report presented to the Port Townsend City Council on Oct. 19, city residents use a little more than 900,000 gallons of water a day.
The mill is using about 10.5 million gallons daily, according to company spokesman Felix Vicino.
“We’ve been getting some rain but not enough to make up what’s being taken out,” said City Manager David Timmons last week.
Timmons said that rain in Port Townsend matters little for drought relief. The rain must fall in the Quilcene basin, a 70,000-acre area that contains Port Townsend’s water source.
“The question is whether the rain will come down next to the watershed or in the watershed,” Timmons said.
Water from rivers
City water is drawn from the Big Quilcene and Little Quilcene rivers, generally routing directly to City Lake in Chimacum for filtration and transport to the city.
If not enough water comes down the rivers, then Lords Lake is used as a reserve.
Timmons said that once the water level drops too far, the city will need to “cut the mill off” to ensure adequate water for public consumption.
Vicino said the mill has several backup plans to prevent getting to the crisis point.
One plan, which was expected to begin this week, means installing several deep water pumps to draw 5 million gallons a day from an area that will not cause the general level to subside, Vicino said.
This is a short-term fix and could buy the mill about 10 days, Timmons said.
Vicino said that mill personnel are working toward the implementation of more water conservation measures. The mill already recycles the same water several times.
If needed, the mill could shut down one of its two paper machines, which would cut both production and water consumption considerably.
“We want to do what’s best for our workers, the company and the community,” Vicino said.
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Jefferson County Editor Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or cbermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
