Stage 1 Water Watch LIFTED
WATER UPDATE 8-23-19
With reduced fish processing and the wonderful rain that we have been having, both reservoirs are currently overflowing.
Therefore, we are officially off of Stage 1 Water Watch.
Thank you Wrangell for conserving throughout Stage 1.
WATER UPDATE 7-25-19
Extra Water Conservation Public Notice
We need your help again with serious water conservation for a couple of days. Don’t be fooled by the rain we have had recently. There has not been enough precipitation to provide any relief to our water reservoirs. To give you an idea, 1 inch of rain equals approximately 391,000 gallons of water (at the level of the upper reservoir spillway). Yesterday, water usage was up considerably at just over 1 million gallons. Community consumption and production has been over 700,000 gallons a day. The weather forecast is for 1.5 inches of rain over the next four days. That amount of water is not enough to make up even one day of draw down from our reservoirs.
The inlet pipe from the lower reservoir to the water treatment plant is gravity fed. As the water level drops in the lower reservoir we lose pressure resulting in less water being drawn into the plant for processing. To keep the lower reservoir as full as possible water is transferred from the upper reservoir to the lower. When the upper reservoir is not full and overflowing (spilling) into the lower, the only method we currently have available is to siphon the water between the two reservoirs.
We have a technical issue with the current siphon. A new one is being constructed by the Water Treatment staff. It will be completed sometime in the next couple of days. In the meantime, we are asking everyone to CONSERVE, CONSERVE, CONSERVE to the maximum degree possible through the weekend.
If everyone conserves, for the time being, we will be able to avoid going to Stage 2 – Mandatory Conservation. The upper reservoir is currently 4 feet low. The lower reservoir is 2 feet low. This gives us 22 feet of water in the upper reservoir and 24 feet in the lower. This equates to approximately 1.5 months of water (including the water in the storage tanks) if the reservoirs were to see no more inflows. Thankfully, there is a little rain in the forecast – just not enough to make up for what we are using.
On Monday we will get back out to the community with an update.
THANK YOU TO EVERYONE!
WATER UPDATE 7-6-19
There will be a public meeting to discuss the water issue, why conservation is important and necessary, what the Borough and businesses are doing, and what you can do to help assure adequate water supply.
WATER UPDATE 06-25-19
Weather reports over the next 7 to 10 days have no rain in the forecast and continued hot sunny days. We are asking the community to please start conserving water usage again per the Stage 1 Water Watch. Thank you so much for your efforts.
____________________________________________________________________
WATER UPDATE (06-17-2019)
Out of an abundance of caution we are going to stay on Stage 1 Water Watch, which is voluntary conservation. Both reservoirs are currently full and overflowing.
This is a great time for the community to use water for exterior cleaning projects, washing cars, washing boats, etc.
With seafood processing starting this past weekend, and scheduled to possibly double by next week, it is important we continue to watch our water usage. Next week shows several days of sun, or no rain. At peak usage it can take as little as two day for the reservoirs to stop overflowing – hence our caution.
THANK YOU TO THE COMMUNITY
When we issued the Stage 1 Water Watch, the community responded by dropping consumption by more than 100 gallons per minute. THANK YOU to everyone who conserved.
Please feel free to use water as necessary over the next few days. As the weather and reservoir conditions change we will report back out to the community.
______________________________________________________________________
WATER UPDATE (05-30-2019)
The City and Borough of Wrangell requests that all residents and businesses practice water conservation and electrical conservation. A Stage I Water Watch is effective until further notice beginning May 30, 2019.
Conservation efforts implemented now, may help prevent water shortage issues later this summer. This conservation approach is part of our efforts to adapt to, and alleviate, the cumulative impacts of the drier-than-normal weather we are having now and expect to experience throughout the summer. Using water wisely, will help reduce the seasonal increase in water demand.
Even though rain is expected in the next week, accumulation is predicted to be less than 2 inches. The long term forecast is predicting continued lack of precipitation. Conditions will continue to be monitored, and water restrictions will be adjusted as necessary. Conservation NOW may help us avoid drastic water restrictions.
Please find ways through which you can conserve water. Some tips for conserving water are:
• Be conservative about your overall daily use.
• Fix leaking faucets, toilets and water lines and choose low-flow units when installing new fixtures.
• Run dishwashers and washing machines only when full.
• Turn off the tap when brushing your teeth or shaving and take shorter showers.
• Avoid washing vehicles and other non-essential usages.
• Use automatic shut-off nozzles on hoses when watering gardens.
• Sweep sidewalks and driveways clean instead of using a running hose.
Please call Public Works at 907-874-3904 if you see any water leaks or if you have any questions about the water management plan or ways through which you can help conserve. Water and electrical conservation webpages on www.wrangell.com are being developed to keep you apprised of the water system status and tips to conserve.
To learn more, there will be a Conservation Town Hall meeting on Wednesday, June 12, 2019, 6:00pm at the Nolan Center.
Thank you WRANGELL!!!
