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Looking for water conservation tips?

Why is water conservation important in Jefferson County?
Sparling well

The Sparling well is an extremely productive well that gets nearly 1000 gallons per minute with little drawdown. However, the water is expensive to treat. And there are lingering questions about how the well impacts stream flows. Less demand on this well in the summer may give struggling summer chum salmon additional water for spawning.

Big Quilcene River

The Big Quilcene River is the primary water source for the City of Port Townsend, the PT Paper Mill and the PUD's LUD #3. As "rivers" go, its very small from headwaters to its mouth. Most people in Jefferson County are dependent upon ground water resources that are independent of snowpack or mountain streams.
Beckett Point

Thanks to the "rainshadow" of the Olympic Mountains which block much of the weather coming from the southwest, Beckett Point is consitently one of the driest places in Jefferson County at around 12 - 16 inches of rainfall annually.  For the most part, the aquifers that provide water locally rely on late fall and winter rains to recharge the water table each year.

Local Water Facts
  • Northeastern Clallam and Jefferson counties are drier than any coastal community in the US north of Southern California and almost all communities east of the Mississippi River!

  • Like most of the West, water demand goes up in the summer when water is the least available.

  • Local ground water is commonly high in iron and manganese, and expensive to treat.
     
  • Local aquifers are small and discontinuous and therefore have limited water in storage and susceptable to drought.

  • Most of the lowland streams are fed nearly entirely by ground water discharging to the channel during low flow season. 

  • Lowland aquifers are dependent upon late fall and winter rainfall so a dry winter can mean lower water tables and lower base flows for spawning salmon in the late summer.

  • Our small "rivers" are called creeks in most other places. Aquifers within East Jefferson County are small, discontinuous and susceptible to drought.

  • Recent annual precipitation trends (since 1999) have been normal to far below normal (two state declared droughts in 2001 and 2005).

  • Wet season ground water recharge has been significantly less than normal.

  • As we set more and more water aside for the needs of  fish in our streams our dependency upon ground water and the need to understand its relationship with surface water will continue to increase.


DO YOUR PART!
USE WATER WISELY!

Water Conservation Tips:
Some general, practical water conservation tips include:

INDOOR
      • Wash only full loads in your washing machine and dishwasher.
      • Don't run water continuously when washing dishes by hand.
      • Attach "low-flow" faucet aerators to faucets.toilet
      • Take short showers instead of baths. A full bathtub requires about 36 gallons of water. A five-minute shower using a low flow showerhead can use as little as 7.5 to 15 gallons.
      • Install "low-flow" shower heads and toilets.
      • Don't leave the water running when brushing your teeth or shaving. With the tap running at full force, shaving takes 20 gallons of water,
        teeth-brushing takes 10 and hand washing takes two.
      • Check for leaky faucets and toilets, and then repair them immediately. A leaky tap, dripping once per second, wastes six gallons of water a day.
      • Don't run water continuously when washing your car. Use a nozzle on
        the hose to stop the water flow between rinsings. Clean the car with a pail of soapy water.
      • Use a broom, not a hose, to clean driveways and sidewalks.

 OUTDOOR
      • Plan before you plant - consider plant needs for moisture, sunlight, etc.
        in advance.
      • Improve the soil structure - work organic material such as peat moss or
        compost into the soil to help retain water and assist in plant growth.
      • Aerating your yard once a year also will help it retain water.
      • Cut down on grass - grass requires up to four times as much water as
        other plants.
      • Cut back on the amount of grass in your yard by planting shrubs or ground cover or putting in rock gardens.
  OUTDOOR
      • Water efficiently - use a sprinkler with a low application rate (about
        one-third inch per hour) and check for even coverage. Established
        grass only needs an inch of water each week.
      • Water your lawn in the evenings or early mornings to reduce evaporation.
      • When you do water, water long enough for moisture to soak down to
        the roots where it will do the most good.
      • Make the most of mulches - three to four inches of mulch on top of the
        soil, especially before spring and fall rains, will reduce water needs,
        moderate soil temperature and inhibit weed growth.
      • Choose climate friendly plants - many native plants can survive on
        rainwater alone, and they're more disease and insect resistant.
      • Care for what you plant - weed and prune regularly to ensure water
        is going where it's needed.

Water Conservation Links:
(water conservation tips used by permission from Clark County PUD#1)