City staff temporarily stops using reclaimed water

Public Works Director encourages people not to flush bleach products

By Matthew Nash • June 3, 2020 1:30 am
In recent weeks, City of Sequim officials stopped distributing reclaimed water due to a high amount of particulates found in its treated water. City staff attribute the possible increased use of bleach products to the decrease in visibility in the treated water but it will tentatively return to normal levels this week. Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash
In recent weeks, City of Sequim officials stopped distributing reclaimed water due to a high amount of particulates found in its treated water. City staff attribute the possible increased use of bleach products to the decrease in visibility in the treated water but it will tentatively return to normal levels this week. Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash

Reclaimed water from the Water Reclamation Facility has been turned off in the City of Sequim because of higher than normal particulates in the water, city officials report.

Sequim Public Works Director David Garlington said the city’s Class A Reclamation Facility has gone out of compliance for about two weeks with its water’s turbidity, the level where water loses its transparency due to particulates.

Normally the city’s Nephelometric Turbidity Units (NTU) rate runs “well below 1,” Garlington said, but for a variety of reasons the plant has been at about 10, about 5 over the maximum for compliance.

By not being in compliance, the city’s permit through the state does not allow them to distribute reclaimed water treated at the plant.

The city uses reclaimed water for watering flower baskets, to fill the city’s fish pond, to irrigate parks, for cleaning at the city shop and to provide services to about 10 city residents.

Until the plant comes back into compliance, city staff have been using tap water, he said.

The problem could be related to the amount of personal cleaning people are doing at home, Garlington said.

In conversations with Department of Agriculture and Department of Fish and Wildlife, city staff said they’ve seen an increased use of bleach products across the state in response to the COVID-19 pandemic — particularly in communities with older populations more susceptible to infection of the 2019 novel coronavirus, he said.

“In effect, bleach and cleaners are going into the system and the disinfectants are killing the bugs at the plant that are used to break everything down, so our bug count is low,” he said.

“(The bug count is) slowly coming up and the turbidity is slowly going down.”

Unused reclaimed water is being sent to the Strait of Juan de Fuca, Garlington said, but shouldn’t have a negative impact.

While the water is out of compliance with its permit, Garlington said it’s related to the cloudiness of the water and the city is not out of compliance for fecal coliform.

On May 28, Garlington appeared on KSQM 91.5 FM’s “Coffee with the Mayor” session, encouraging people not to flush bleach wipes but throw them away, and to “be kind to our sewage plant.”

Garlington said people can still continue to fish at the city’s pond in the northern part of Carrie Blake Community Park by the Albert Haller Fields.

He anticipates the city being back in compliance by the end of the week.

“Reuse water is a great resource, but in terms of resiliency it has its own challenges and limitations like regular water,” Garlington said.

It can be impacted by high water events too, making it more turbid than normal, he added.

For more information, contact Sequim Public Works at 360-683-4908.