By Pepper Fisher
CLALLAM BAY – As we reported earlier, the DART volunteer pilots spent two days this week flying drinking water into the Clallam Bay and Sekiu area where their water supply was cut off thanks to a broken main caused by this week’s storm.
Now the North Olympic Library System has partnered with Clallam County Emergency Management, Clallam County Fire District Five, Clallam PUD, and the Clallam Bay School to further ensure that residents of Clallam Bay continue to have access to drinking water until things are back to normal.
Drinking water and portable restrooms are now available at the Clallam Bay Branch Library. The water is available in the form of water bottles flown in by DART, but now there’s also a Clallam PUD water truck parked at the library as well, where residents can fill their own jugs.
We were unsure about how they were able to make a water truck available in the area when the community was totally cut off because of landslides, but Clallam Bay Fire Chief Heather Quinones explained.
So, Sekiu has gotten their water back. Our reservoir went out. So we had water through a reservoir, where Sekiu did not. And our reservoir ran out just as Sekiu got water.”
That means Sekiu is now able to fill the water truck and drive it to Clallam Bay for folks who would like to fill their own jugs and take them home.
The Clallam Bay Library is asking the public for donations of the following items to help residents who have been without water for nearly a week:
- Clean and empty five gallon jugs
- Unopened packages of baby wipes
- Unopened bottles of dry, spray-on shampoo.
Donations can be dropped off at the Port Angeles, Sequim, or Forks Branch Libraries and will be delivered to Clallam Bay.
(NOLS photo of PUD water truck at Clallam Bay Branch library.)