Water Conservation Alert 7/28/16: The water conservation mandate is still in place. PLEASE REPORT ANY LEAKS TO THE PW DEPT. 874-3904.

WATER CONSERVATION REQUIRED

WATER SERVICE UPDATE July 27, 2016

We are still under a conservation mandate and it’s important for the public to continue to conserve through late August or further notice. We are actively working on fixing the treated water issue.

Here are some “do’s and don’t’s” to conserve

Do continue to take shorter showers. Try using a timer to keep track.

Do use rainwater (if possible) to water your plants.

Do run the dishwasher and washing machine only when full. Save water by using the short cycle.

Do write notes around the house so that everyone can see where they should conserve.

Do fix leaky faucets.

 

Don't wash your car.

Don't run the water while shaving and/or brushing your teeth.

Don't use the toilet as a wastebasket.

Don't let the water run while washing dishes.  Filling a basin to rinse your dishes only takes around 5 gallons.

Don't water or rinse off your sidewalk, driveway, or float. Instead, sweep them.

Did you know???

~ Kitchen and bathroom faucets use 2 to 3 gallons a minute.

~ Slow drip leaks waste 15-20 gallons per day.

Please remember to report any water leaks to the Public Works Department 874-3904

 

WATER SERVICE UPDATE July 26, 2016

~ We are still until a conservation mandate and important for the public to continue to conserve through late August or further notice.

~ Although the water situation has temporarily stabilized, it will not take much to send us back into a crisis.

~ Water in the tank today was 31.6’ (33 maximum), but there was some plant work required that will require using some of that reserve.

 

WATER SERVICE UPDATE July 25, 2016

~  Tank level is near full at 31.6 feet (maximum is 33 feet)

~  The recent rain will help fill the reservoir so we won’t have any concern with that although that has not been our problem.

~  The plant has caught up but please remember that conservation is still needed through the processor’s summer.  We can go backwards very quickly as we have seen. 

~  We encourage the public to continue to report leaks and conserve.

 

WATER SERVICE UPDATE July 22, 2016

For the public:

     ~ For the time being, our system seems to have stabilized, but the crisis is not over.

     ~ We still need to conserve and will need to keep finding ways to cut water consumption

     ~ It is now raining, but remember that is not our problem, Treated water through our plant is the problem.

     ~ We would like to especially thank the seafood processors for the amount of effort and costs they have incurred to help resolve this problem.  Now the city and the public need to continue to conserve to assist them so they can process the rest of the summer without interruption.

     ~ Thank you all and we will continue to update everyone daily on the status.

 

 

WATER SERVICE UPDATE July 21, 2016 

Water Crisis Update:

After water is treated it goes into two water storage tank both of which are approximately 430,000 gallons.  The tanks are approximately 33 feet high when full of water and we can’t go below 5 feet because that is at the level of the outfall pipe.

Yesterday the tank was at about 12 to 14 feet.  Today the tank is at 21 feet when checked.  We have 3 out of the 4 filters producing water and we will be cleaning one filter today, one tomorrow and one on Saturday.  Each time the filter is cleaned it produces water more efficiently.  The Down side is that it takes filtered water from the tank to do that.  So today we seemed to be OK and stable.

Actions ongoing:

We have reached out to the State of Alaska Disaster personnel for ideas and any technical assistance.

We have reached out to our Water Engineer to run by some ideas staff has and could those be implemented quickly.

We have the assistance of Trident in locating some materials to make changes in the roughing filter which we think can help some, but we will not know for sure until we actually make the changes.

We are still and will be all summer under the emergency declaration to conserve water.

We are and will be until further notice under a strict conservation notice and this will be enforced.

Our processors are working extremely hard to make costly changes to their facilities to conserve water even further.

We continue to encourage the public to make drastic changes in water use habits.

 

WATER SERVICE UPDATE July 15, 2016 

Swimming Pool Update:
Water has been turned on at the Swimming Pool. Pool Maintenance Staff are addressing the chemical balance this morning. The pool will re-open to the public at 11:30AM Friday morning for the regularly scheduled lap swim. Following the mid-day lap swim the pool will remain in its normal operation and schedule, pending no further issues at the water treatment plant.

 

WATER SERVICE UPDATE July 14, 2016 5:00pm

1. All harbors in Wrangell have returned to full water service.  Please ensure water hoses are turned off when not in use. 

2. The Swimming Pool will remain closed until further notice.

The water consumption today was considerably less than what it has been, which has helped the water plant perform needed filter maintenance.  Treated water levels, however, are still very low.  Please know that WE ARE NOT IN THE CLEAR YET and won't be for some time.  The water plant will continue to struggle to produce enough treated water for the entire community unless everyone continues to practice conservation measures. 

Thank you Wrangell for acting conscientiously and conserving. 

Original Alert Issued July 12, 2016

Wrangell Public Works is monitoring the available treated water to insure that sufficient water supply is available to adequately meet the health and sanitation needs of our community and to provide a reserve sufficient to meet requirements and emergencies.

The immediate problem is not a lack of water in the reservoirs but rather the lack of water in the tanks that store our treated water. Demand for  water is greater than what the treatment plant can produce, and there is no way to treat the water any faster. Because our water treatment plant cannot keep up with the high flows, there is a threat of depletion to the supply of treated water with continued high usage.  Please reduce your water consumption as much as possible until further notice, and please spread the word.

All residents and businesses are asked to begin reducing their water consumption until normal levels are restored.

The water to all harbor facilities has been turned off as a temporary measure to help the water treatment plant rebuild its supply of treated water. Depending on other water usage throughout town, this could take a day or two. The Fire Department has been notified and a fire plan is in place to address potential fires in the harbors.

The water to the Parks and Recreation Swimming Pool facility has also been turned off as a temporary measure to help the water treatment plant rebuild its supply of treated water.  All scheduled swims are cancelled until further notice. The Cardio Equipment and Weight Room are still accessible, however showers are not permitted at this time. 

THANK YOU FOR WORKING WITH US TO HELP REFILL OUR STORAGE TANKS

 

Questions may be directed to Public Works at 874-3904.