CHIMACUM— A drought forum scheduled tonight will describe the current situation and offer poential strategies if drought becomes more severe.
“This offers us the opportunity for us to plan for the future,” said Kate Dean, North Olympic Development Council coordinator, who is moderating the forum.
“We aren’t in a disaster now, but are hoping to tell people how they can prepare if the conditions get any worse.”
The forum will be from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Chimacum High School Auditorium, 91 West Valley Road.
“We are in a monitoring mode,” said Port Townsend City Councilwoman Deborah Stinson.
“We need to pay close attention so we avoid a crisis if we can.”
Gov. Jay Inslee declared a drought on the North Olympic Peninsula, among other areas, on March 13. On May 15, Inslee declared a statewide drought emergency.
At the forum, staff from the state Department of Ecology will join representatives of the North Olympic Development Council, the Washington State University Extension of Jefferson County, city of Port Townsend, Jefferson County Public Utility District and Port Townsend Paper, Corp., in a discussion of drought impacts.
Two presentations — on what to expect from the drought and to define a drought declaration — will be followed by two panel discussions about sources and uses of water and how to respond to a drought.
Dean said that current precipitation and water table levels are normal. But the Olympic Mountains have no snowpack — and that fact will become more critical if the winter is dry since there will be no snow to feed rivers.
Ecology representative Jeff Marti, who will explain the effects of a drought declaration, said that river flow is lower this year than in the two previous years of greatest drought conditions, 2001 and 2005.
Temperatures also have been higher than usual.
In simplest terms, drought conditions are solved when it rains, but it can be more complicated.
“It will take precipitation, in the form of snow over the winter, to get us out of this,” Marti said.
“In the meantime, we have to learn how to adapt to these conditions because the warmer temperatures are probably going to continue.
”This is an indicator of what we can expect in the future.”
Marti said the declaration of drought frees up state money so businesses and individuals can develop other alternatives for a water supply, such as subsidizing the rerouting of pipe from a dry well to another in the vicinity.
It can also provide a way to fast-track water permits that can take weeks under normal conditions, he said.
Dean hopes the forum will provide the public with an understanding about the origins of water supplies in different parts of the county and what can be done to conserve them.
One obvious measure is to stop watering lawns, she said, but this can seem insignificant in light of the heavy water needs of the Port Townsend Paper Corp., mill.
The city of Port Townsend uses less than 2 million gallons per day, according to Public Works Director Ken Clow, while the mill recently cut its consumption from 15 million to 10 million gallons daily, according to General Manager Carr Tyndall.
One purpose of the forum is for the public to learn about what conservation efforts are in process by the mill as well as other local entities.
“We want to begin a conversation about what we need to do in the future,” Dean said.
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Jefferson County Reporter Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at charlie.bermant@peninsuladailynews.com.