OAK HARBOR – Sinking water levels on the Skagit River, Oak Harbor’s sole water source, have caused Whidbey Island’s biggest city to trigger the first stage of a water conservation policy.
Residents in the rest of Island County, by contrast, should not feel the drought’s effects as much. Even so, conserving water is recommended, the county’s hydrogeologist said.
In Oak Harbor, city workers have put up signs encouraging residents to reduce their water consumption in anticipation of a drought experts say will probably affect the entire the state this summer.
Conservation measures are voluntary at this point, said Rich Tyhuis, operations manager for Oak Harbor’s water department. “The main thing is getting the word across to be aware when you turn on that tap,” he said.
The city is notifying its largest water users – including Whidbey Island Naval Air Station, schools and industries – to start fixing water leaks and reducing irrigation times.
If water levels on the Skagit continue to drop, mandatory restrictions could take effect. That would mean people with even-numbered addresses could only water their lawns or wash their cars on even-numbered dates, and odd addresses on odd dates, Tyhuis said.
Such restrictions would be triggered if the Skagit River gauge at Mount Vernon dips below 9 feet.
If the drought sets in and the river level dips below 8 feet, even stricter rules would be imposed. Lawn watering and car washing would be prohibited, for example.
Oak Harbor’s water is piped from the Skagit near Mount Vernon because Whidbey Island has no rivers and few streams. Most of the rest of Island County gets its water from wells, but unlike many rural wells on the mainland, most Island County wells are not as closely linked to fluctuations of surface water.
“In reality, most of our aquifers are fairly deep,” said Doug Kelly, the county’s hydrogeologist.
Those aquifers get recharged more slowly by accumulations of rain over 10 or more years, Kelly said. One or two years of drought would not be as big an issue if, over time, they are countered by a couple of wet years.
Kelly still cautioned against complacency in rural parts of the county.
If, for example, people were to start pumping more water than normal to keep their lawns green during dry summers, even some deep aquifers could struggle to refill over the years. And a few rural areas in the county have shallower aquifers. Some are susceptible to seawater intrusion. Conserving water especially makes sense there, Kelly said.
Reporter Scott Morris: 425-339-3292 or smorris@ heraldnet.com.
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