Clallam County PUD officials requested on Tuesday, Jan. 10 that water utility customers in the Carlsborg, Evergreen, Port Angeles Composite and Panoramic Heights water systems begin voluntary water conservation measures. This is a Stage 2 Response from the District’s Drought Response Plan.

Last week, the Washington State Department of Ecology expanded its emergency drought declaration to include the Elwha-Dungeness Watershed in Clallam County citing snowpack and precipitation deficits, PUD staff wrote in a press release.

According to the District’s Drought Response Plan, a drought declaration meets the criteria for a Stage 2 Alert for the water systems mentioned. PUD officials ask customers to voluntarily reduce their overall water usage.

Staff said that the Stage 2 Alert’s purpose is to encourage customers to conserve and prepare customers for additional drought response measures later in the season.

PUD staff report that a Stage 2 Water Conservation Alert has also been issued for the Island View Water System, and the Clallam Bay/Sekiu Water System has issued a Stage 1 Alert.

Techniques

Some ways customers can reduce their water consumption include:

• Reduce outdoor water use

• Fix all leaky faucets and toilets

• Take shorter showers, not baths

• Install low-flow showerheads and faucets,

• Operate automatic dish and clothes washers only when full

• Reuse clean household water. Collect all water that is wasted while waiting for the hot water to reach your faucet. Use this water for houseplants or outdoor plants

• Use water efficient appliances

For more ways to save water, visit epa.gov/watersense.