La Conner’s water distribution infrastructure is under pressure, literally and figuratively, prompting the Town Council to declare an emergency and authorize staff to speed up preventive work.
At Tuesday’s Town Council meeting, Public Works Director Brian Lease said the crew had been noticing abnormal pressure swings since late November. While the issue has been temporarily fixed, Lease worries of what might happen if no further action is taken.
Excessive pressure can rupture the water mains and inflict severe damage to the system. At the same time, pressure that is too low puts users at greater risk of illness because it isn’t strong enough to keep contaminated water from entering the mains.
The issue couldn’t have originated in La Conner, Lease said, because its water system does not include pumps. Contrary to initial suspicions, it also didn’t come from Anacortes, which supplies water to the town.
After some investigation, he said the issue seems to have stemmed from Shelter Bay’s pump station, with some pressure surges detected to exceed 100 PSI (pounds per square inch), a fact Lease said he found “very concerning.”
The Shelter Bay Community declined to comment.
In an email sent to Shelter Bay residents on Jan. 28, the community’s office announced there would be a water outage starting at 9 a.m. on Jan. 29 to allow La Conner to inspect its own system. Water service was restored that same day. The office also issued a boil water advisory that was in effect until Feb. 2, when water sample results showed no signs of contamination in Shelter Bay’s water, according to another email from the office.
To protect La Conner’s water system, Lease said Public Works installed some temporary surge tanks off the fire hydrants on the southern side of town to “absorb most of the hammer.” While this has been effective, he said, it is only a temporary band-aid.
By unanimously voting to declare an emergency, the council authorized Public Works to skip the competitive bidding process and take immediate action to address the pressure swings in the Town’s own system and their potential for damages.
David Evans and Associates, Inc. would conduct a water system evaluation for both the Town and Shelter Bay, and provide up to three mitigation options and cost estimates for the Town for a total of $8,626, according to a contract in the meeting packet.
Mayor Marna Hanneman said the Town will further discuss the matter with the Shelter Bay and Swinomish communities later this month.
