Water Source Change for Some PUD Customers Imminent

PUD South Hastings Loop (LUD#3) Water Customers (sent to all LUD#3 customers)

SUBJECT: Change of Source of Water

The purpose of this letter is to notify you of the pending transition of the source of your PUD supplied water from the City of Port Townsend’s surface water to PUD ground water. The conversion is to comply with the EPA and State Department of Health compliance directives requiring the City of Port Townsend to filter their water source for cryptosporidium. As a result, the City will no longer be selling water to the PUD for the LUD#3 Water System.

The water we currently sell to you is from the City of Port Townsend’s Olympic Gravity Water System. Because the City obtains its water directly from surface water sources (Big and Little Quilcene Rivers) potentially susceptible to cryptosporidium, they were directed to upgrade their water treatment level. Surface water sources are more susceptible to contamination than groundwater sources. The City was required to install filtration, within the City limits, to comply with new State and Federal regulations.

The PUD has been planning for years how we would service LUD#3 (your water system) once the City no longer could provide us water. In preparation, we have upgraded the Sparling treatment plant to provide additional water; purchased, upgraded, and consolidated the Kala Point Water system with the Quimper water system to provide additional source, more storage and better hydraulics; and most recently the installation of a booster pump station near the Chevy Chase golf course.

With the change of sources of water, you may notice some changes in water quality, including color, taste, odor and hardness. To limit these issues we will be flushing the system frequently for the first month or so. If you notice discoloration or odors please give us a call at 385-5800 as we may be able to quickly address and eliminate those impacts.

We will be performing all of the normal water quality tests, as if it was a new water system. There is no reason to suspect any problems as the water is the same as we are using throughout the Quimper Water System (more than 2,500 connections that meet or exceed state and federal water quality standards) for the past 15 years. The testing is a State requirement when consolidating the systems with different source waters.

We are looking at the conversion from surface water to groundwater within the next month or two, depending on the City’s progress with their new treatment plant. We would like to apologize in advance of any inconvenience you may have during the transition, please feel free to call if you have any questions.

James G. Parker, PE
Manager