HomeMy WebLinkAbout052 77Jefferson County Commissioners
COURTHOUSE
PORT TOWNSEND. WASHINGTON 98368
CARROLL M. MERCER, DISTRICT 3, CHAIRMAN
A. M. O- MEARA. DISTRICT 1
B. G. BROWN, DISTRICT 2
RESOLUTION No. 5�2' %%
WHEREAS, the Board of County Commissioners is vested with the responsibility
of protecting the health, safety, and general welfare of the citizens of Jefferson
County, and
WHEREAS, the said health, safety, general welfare, and economic livelihood,
of those citizens is highly dependent upon the water resources within the County,
and
WHEREAS, the unprecedented lack of precipitation the past two years has
adversely affected said water resources, and
WHEREAS, it appears that these unusual climatic conditions will remain
unchanged in the foreseeable future, and
WHEREAS, those conditions threaten the general welfare and economic wellbeing
of the citizens of Jefferson County, and
WHEREAS, "Appendix A" attached hereto identifies two measures which should
be undertaken to alleviate imminent drought - related impact to Jefferson County.
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Board of County Commissioners hereby
declares a State of Emergency in Jefferson County due to drought conditions;
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Board hereby requests the Govenor of the
State of Washington, and the President of the United States, to also declare such
r` .I . �'
Resolution No. 6,:9-77
Page 2
an emergency, and afford the citizens of Jefferson County any and all practicable
means for drought relief at their disposal.
SEAL: Adopted this 25th day of July 1977
-14 Jefferson County Board of Commissioners
Carroll M. Mercer, Chairman
cF•� ��� jd. p,1•
1.
A. O'Meara, Commissioner
Attest:
e y J. Andersq#
County Auditor cInd
Ex- Officio Clerk of the Board Brown, Commissioner
Attachment: "Appendix A"
cc: John Doubek, Jefferson County Director of Emergency Services
Senator Warren G. Magnuson
Representative Donald Bonker
Mayor Joseph B. Steve, City of Port Townsend
City Council, City of Port Townsend
Roger French, City Engineer
Jack Fields, Water Superintendent
Joseph Ciprioti, Councilman, Water Committee
Dal.e Judy, Councilman, Water Committee
James Parker, Councilman, !later Committee
Alva Bettis, Consulting Engineer, Encon Corporation
Edward Becker, Jefferson County Director of Public Works
Gordon Gerttula, Plant Manager, Crown Zellerbach Corporation
Lowell Tiller, Plant Engineer, Corwn Zellerbach Corporation
Betty McCellan, Washington State Office of Emergency Services
VOL 3 FADE �`s13
�P
APPENDIX A
The Crown Zellerbach Kraft Pulp and Paper Mill is the largest single industrial
employer in Jefferson County. The mill employs as many as 600 persons in the County.
The drought conditions that have prevailed over the past two years are now threaten-
ing the continued operation of the mill.
The pulp and paper process requires a certain quantity and quality of water.
Without additional water supplies, the quantity of water available for the mill
will reach a critical level by late August or early September. Once this level is
reached, curtailment of the mill's operation will proceed within a month according
to mill engineers and management.
The economic effect of an indefinite layoff of mill employees will have a
severe adverse effect on the local economy. It is estimated that as many as 5040
people will be directly or indirectly affected by a shut down at the Crown Zeller -
bach mill.
To avoid curtailment of the mill's production, the Board of County Commissioners,
in conjunction with the Mayor and City Council of the City of Port Townsend, propose
the following measures to provide sufficient water to the Crown Zellerbach mill:
I. The development of a well owned by the City of Port Townsend. The well has
been tested and will produce 1,000,000 gallons per day, although the water will
require treatment due to a high manganese and iron content. The development of
this well will allow 400,000 gallons per day to be diverted to the Olympic
Gravity System,the sole source of industrial water for the Crown Zellerbach Mill.
II. The metering of some 3,000 households within the City of Port Townsend. It is
noted in the Port Townsend - Quimper Peninsula Comprehensive Water Plan that
"maximum day per capita consumption has been reduced 25 to 60 percent in cities
that have changed from unmetered to completely metered systems ". The plan
states further that "an average of 40 percent reduction per household can be
expected with the installation of meters throughout the City ".
The water conservation accomplished through metering will allow additional water
to be diverted to the Crown Zellerbach Mill to sustain current production and
employment levels.
VOL 3 FA,UF966