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<< Previous   of   Next >> (click to enlarge)   ADVERTISEMENT   How you should conserve During the shutoff, residents are being asked to avoid washing cars, hosing off driveways, watering the lawn and running washing machines or dishwashers. Fill water containers for cooking and drinking in advance. While rinsing food and brushing teeth, turn off water when it's not needed. Limit showers to less than 5 minutes and avoid filling hot tubs, pools or bathtubs.   CONTACT THE HERALD Robert Frank, City Editor frank@heraldnet.com   Published: Wednesday, November 12, 2008 County's main water supply to shut down for 16 hours By David Chircop Herald Writer EVERETT -- The main drinking water supply for more than a half-million people in Snohomish County will be shut off for 16 hours this weekend as part of an expansion of Everett's water filtration plant north of Sultan. To maintain enough water pressure for fire departments, customers are being asked to conserve water while the community's main water supply is shut down. The shutdown is expected to start at 10 p.m. Friday and last until about 2 p.m. Saturday. "For the most part, customers are not going to notice much," said Tom Thetford, director of Everett Utilities. "If everybody could do their little part we can make this shutdown run real smooth." Everett Utilities supplies treated drinking water to 80 percent of Snohomish County, including Marysville, Lynnwood and Edmonds. It sells water to eight water systems, the largest in terms of demand being the Alderwood Water District. Others include water utilities serving Marysville, Monroe, Mukilteo, Snohomish and Silver Lake. The disruption of water service is related to the construction of a new 6.7 million gallon concrete reservoir. The $20 million project will supplement an existing clear well that holds 5 million gallons of treated water from the Spada Reservoir located at the headwaters of the Sultan River, 30 miles east of Everett. This is the longest known water system shutdown since Everett first began drawing its water supply from the pristine Sultan River in 1917. A second shutdown, lasting 24 hours, is planned Dec. 5. Most communities should still have water available at the tap, although people may experience low water pressure, utility officials say. Some smaller water districts that tap into Everett's supply, but do not have their own reservoirs and tanks for storage, could see their water lines run dry. In that case, the districts would issue boil-water orders for their customers. The city of Snohomish, which is expecting reduced water pressure on its north side*, is asking people to boil water because a water outage or significant loss of water pressure could cause bacterial contamination. People in Monroe can still expect water to flow from the tap, but residents will be drawing on a limited supply of water from the city's reservoirs, said Jordan Ottow, a water quality specialist. Some fire districts plan to take extra precautions, in case water pressure drops to a point where fire hydrants become ineffective. In Snohomish, fire officials say the city is setting up alternative water sources and is working with a contractor to have extra water tankers available. In Monroe, the fire department plans to send an extra two water tenders to calls, even in areas served by hydrants, said Michael Fitzgerald, fire marshal for Snohomish County Fire District 3. The district serves a 55-square-mile area circling Monroe. "That's usually not the case within the hydranted areas," Fitzgerald said. Reporter David Chircop: 425-339-3429 or dchircop@heraldnet.com. *Correction, Nov. 12, 2008: In the original version of this article, the affected area of the city of Snohomish was incorrectly reported READER COMMENTS Be the first to comment. You must be a registered user and verify your e-mail address to post comments to blogs or articles on HeraldNet. To register, click here. To read other terms and conditions, click here. Log out

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