By Luisa Loi
La Conner Community News
Public Works Director Brian Lease said water pressure has “much improved” in La Conner, months after Public Works staff noticed abnormal pressure swings originating from defective booster pumps in Shelter Bay.
In an email sent Friday, Lease said Shelter Bay made adjustments to the pump controls in February, which he said brought great improvements to an issue that Public Works staff became aware of in November of 2025. Public Works also replaced the Shelter Bay master meter, located at Waterfront Park, in May. The meter, he explained, collects data to monitor the pressure and alert of any issue.
Tuesday, in an effort to protect La Conner’s water system from future surges, the council unanimously approved a contract with David Evans and Associates, a consulting firm that will be in charge of designing a control valve structure that will keep the pressure under control.
Lease explained that the pressure surges were so dramatic that they were creating a “water hammer,” which could have damaged the town’s water infrastructure and caused leaks.
“We are seeing pressures on the low side of 65 PSI and 98 PSI on the high side just in the last seven days,” he wrote. “Even though the current pressures are somewhat manageable; there is no room for additional pressure differential.”
In other news, the Town also fixed a water pipe that fractured at 10:30 a.m. Monday, leaving 56 homes in the Channel Drive neighborhood — north of La Conner — without water. The service was restored at 4 p.m. that day.
The incident resulted from an old 4-inch asbestos cement water pipe that broke in two points, Lease said, adding that this incident only makes the replacement of the 60-year-old Channel Drive water line more urgent.
The Channel Drive Water Line Replacement Project has been making slow progress due to its anticipated price tag of $3.4 million; the Town of La Conner, which has owned the water line since 1993, can contribute $500,000 and is seeking other funding sources to supplement state funding and revenue from Skagit Beach homeowners, many of whom are on fixed income. Wednesday, town officials were expected to meet with U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen to discuss the project. This spring, the state Legislature approved the allocation of $515,000 for this endeavor after Rep. Clyde Shavers helped the town submit a capital budget request.
Tuesday, the Town Council authorized Mayor Marna Hanneman to sign a contract with David Evans and Associates — the only contractor that submitted a proposal — to provide engineering services for the replacement project, for up to $426,306. In an interview, Lease said he would try to keep that in the $300,000s range.
The hope, he said, is to complete the design work by early fall and go to bid soon after, either in the fall or winter. Due to rising prices, he said, the actual construction costs are still a question mark.
Luisa Loi is a general assignment reporter for La Conner Community News.
