Clallam County committee hears PUD briefing on Carlsberg deep well and debates a county 'water steward' role

The Clallam County Charter Review Commission’s Water Committee on April 18 heard a technical briefing from the county’s Public Utility District and discussed whether the county should create a dedicated “water steward” role to collect data, share information and support local decision‑making.

The discussion matters because committee members said up‑to‑date hydrogeologic data and a clear county technical lead are missing as the county and local utilities face climate‑linked shifts in surface flows and growing pressure to authorize development in urban growth areas. Without improved information, several speakers said, water‑rights limits, water‑quality problems and infrastructure decisions will be harder to plan and defend.

Bowen Kendrick, speaking as a PUD representative, briefed the committee on the utility’s operations and on recent Carlsberg system work. Kendrick told the committee the PUD “has about a 50 miles of water main within Clallam County,” that the district used a subrecipient ARPA award of about “three quarters of a million dollars” to extend transmission to a newly drilled parcel, and that a recently drilled Carlsberg production well reaches roughly 900 feet and taps a deeper, fourth aquifer. He said the well’s consultant estimated a capacity near 400 gallons per minute but recommended starting operations around 200–250 gpm and running…