PORT ANGELES — City officials will declare a stage 2 water emergency by this afternoon in light of reduced water flow on the Elwha River and an earlier-than-usual lack of snowpack in the Olympics.
The impending declaration was announced by City Manager Dan McKeen and recommended by Public Works and Utilities Director Craig Fulton at Tuesday night’s regular City Council meeting following Fulton’s extensive update on the ongoing drought.
Under stage 2, a serious water shortage is declared and citizens are urged to voluntarily reduce consumption through an intensive public education campaign.
“We need to be very clear to the people,” Fulton said this morning. “The river will not run dry, and we will not be running out of any drinking water.
“There will be plenty of water for municipal consumption, but there will be impacts that will be occurring to fish viability [in the Elwha River, where the city draws its water].
Fulton said he expects the city to enact stage 3 emergency water restrictions by mid-August, when the City Council could establish specified days — odd days of the week for odd-numbered street addresses and even days for even-numbered addresses — or specified hours for lawn and garden sprinkling.
Fulton said this morning that city staff also will disseminate posters at City Hall and at the Saturday Port Angeles Farmers Market, and will likely include fliers in utility bills.
“We’ll let them know that snowpack levels are at unprecedented lows and that that impacts the [Elwha River] watershed and the volume of water coming down the river,” Fulton said.
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