The Chronicle

Pe Ell residents were asked to conserve water after last week’s heavy rains and flooding on the Chehalis River damaged the city’s water treatment plant.

“Our water source on Lester Creek got plugged, the intake got plugged with mud,” said Pe Ell Mayor Lonnie Willey Monday morning.

Willey said Monday morning that crews were working to solve the problem.

The plant serves about 400 customers, all of which were affected by the situation, according to the state Department of Health.

On Friday, the DOH advised that repairs could take several days. At around noon on Monday, the DOH reported that the intake had been cleared and that the system would likely be up and running sometime that day.

“Our waste treatment plant got inundated with so much volume of water that it’s had some issues too,” Willey said.

However, he said the town of Pe Ell escaped flooding — it was the volume of water that was the problem.

Residents with questions can call Pe Ell’s town Hall for a recorded message at 360-291-3543.