HomeMy WebLinkAbout072426 Voluntary Water Conservation Notice
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Steve King, Public Works Director
Friday, July 24, 2026 360-379-5090 sking@cityofpt.us
VOLUNTARY WATER CONSERVATION NOTICE
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PORT TOWNSEND The City of Port Townsend has issued a voluntary water conservation notice to the
community for households, businesses, and industrial water use. The City of Port Townsend relies on
precipitation in the Olympic Mountains to meet our municipal and industrial water needs. Flow in the
Big Quilcene River, our primary water source, is typically sustained by the snowpack through July. By
early September it is often necessary to utilize water from Lords Lake, a 500-million-gallon storage
reservoir, when low stream flows limit water withdrawals from the rivers.
Dry conditions this year have accelerated depletion of the watershed snowpack. Drawdown of Lords
Lake Reservoir this year began on July 22. This is several weeks earlier than in an average year. While
precipitation may minimize reservoir drawdown at times, the City is asking customers to voluntarily
conserve water until autumnal rains replenish flow in the rivers. The PT Paper Company (Mill) uses a
large proportion of the water supply and has implemented a number of additional conservation
measures to reduce water consumption. Should the Lords Lake Reservoir empty, the Mill will be
required to curtail operations or shutdown.
The City thanks water customers as well as the Mill for conservation measures that help reduce water
use each fall when Lords Lake and stream flows are at their lowest. The City also appreciates ongoing
water conservation efforts throughout the year
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Find water conservation tips on our website: https://cityofpt.us/publicworks/page/water-conservation-
tips
For more information on the Olympic Gravity Water System see:
https://cityofpt.us/publicworks/page/olympic-gravity-water-system-ogws
For technical data on stream flow, information is available online at USGS Current Conditions for USGS
12052210 BIG QUILCENE RIVER BELOW DIVERSION NR QUILCENE, WA
Lords Lake Reservoir, Summer 2024