CARLSBORG – Clallam County Commissioners are expected to approve awarding $775,000 in federal ARPA funds to Clallam PUD to head off an arising problem with Carlsborg’s drinking water.
One of the principal wells operated by the PUD in Carlsborg, known as LUD #10, began experiencing rising nitrate levels in 2008. Officials believe, if left unchecked, those nitrate levels will exceed the maximum level allowed by the Safe Drinking Water Act in the next 4-6 years.
The nitrates are believed to be coming from a combination of sources including residential septic systems, agricultural fertilizers, and organic soil characteristics within the Carlsborg area.
PUD officials believe they have a solution, but it’s going to about $9 million. It’s called Water System Blending. The plan is to begin drawing clean drinking water from a deep water well drilled by Clallam County in 2019, and then install a huge storage tank where they will blend the water from the two wells to lower nitrate levels and create safe drinking water.