PORT ANGELES — The city of Port Angeles has issued a “do not drink” water order for all city utility customers.
The order follows Friday’s tanker truck collision into Indian Creek during which petroleum products entered the water. Indian Creek flows into the Elwha River, which is the city’s main source for drinking water.
Water testing is currently underway as directed by the state Department of Health, according to an alert sent Sunday morning by the Clallam County Sheriff’s Office.
Some of the required tests involve out-of-state review, which is taking longer than expected, according to the alert.
“At this time, the City’s water reservoirs have depleted to critical levels,” the alert said. “To maintain safe and consistent water pressure throughout the system, the City must begin producing additional water before all test results are available.”
The order applies to all properties connected to the city’s water system, whether they are located within city limits or outside of city limits, the alert said.
Clallam County PUD said in a Facebook post on Sunday that its water supply is safe.
“The PUD’s interconnection with the City of PA’s water system has been shut off since Friday morning,” the post said. “All PUD customers are being served solely from water sources that are unaffected by the tanker spill. Any drought water alerts that have been issued prior are still in effect but all systems are safe for consumption.”
The alert from the Sheriff’s Office instructs Port Angeles utility customers to not drink tap water. Use only bottled water for drinking, brushing teeth, washing dishes, making ice and food preparation until further notice. That also applies to pets, the alert said.
Do not try to treat the water, the alert warned. Potential contamination is related to chemicals, not bacteria, so boiling, freezing, filtering, adding chlorine or other disinfectant or letting water stand will not make the water safe for consumption.
Tap water is safe for bathing, showering, flushing toilets and doing laundry, the alert said.
Bottled water will be distributed from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday while supplies last at Civic Field, 307 S. Race St., and at Shane Park, 613 S. G St.
Supplies will be based on household size, the alert said.
Water deliveries are being prioritized for Olympic Medical Center and other critical facilities to ensure services are maintained, the alert said.
The city will notify utility customers when water testing is complete and the issue is fully resolved, the alert said.
The incident began Friday when a tanker truck went off the roadway and into Indian Creek on Friday morning.
Thomas Schaw, 58, of Port Angeles was traveling westbound on Highway 101 about 10:23 a.m. when he failed to negotiate a right-hand turn and left the roadway to the left, the State Patrol reported. The tanker went down a 200- to 300-foot embankment and landed on its top in the creek.
Schaw, who was wearing a seat belt, was transported to Olympic Medical Center, the State Patrol said.
Neither drugs nor alcohol were involved, the agency added.
The State Patrol said the cause was improper lane usage and added Schaw was cited for second-degree negligent driving.
Preliminary estimates on Saturday indicated 3,000 gallons of a mixture of gasoline and diesel, with the majority being gasoline, spilled into Indian Creek, the Sheriff’s Office stated in a joint press release.
Drivers were diverted around the closure using state Highway 112, WSDOT said.
Highway 101 remained closed until Saturday morning, the State Patrol said.
Air monitoring readings were not at a level above human health and safety on Saturday, but people in the area should still be mindful of symptoms like headaches, or dizziness and see medical attention if needed, the press release stated.
The Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe was expected to conduct shoreline assessments on Saturday to monitor for environmental impacts.
Containment and recovery efforts remain underway, with crews continuing to actively manage the release and protect downstream resources, according to the press release.
A unified command has been established, including the Environmental Protection Agency, Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe, state Department of Ecology, Clallam County Sheriff’s Office and Petro-Card. Other responding agencies and contractors include the state Department of Fish and Wildlife, Clallam 2 Fire-Rescue, Focus Wildlife and Republic Services.
Senior chemist Paul Burke of Libby Environmental, Inc., tests a water sample taken from the Elwha River at a mobile lab set up on Saturday outside the Clallam County Courthouse in Port Angeles. (Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News)