Port Townsend is moving forward with repairs to the Lords Lake East Dam based on the report of a consultant that confirmed concerns that issues there should be addressed.

City council authorized the city manager to enter into Phase II — including the engineering design, permitting, specifications, and bidding for the The Lords Lake East Dam Seismic Stability Project, combined with the Lords Lake Pipeline Improvement -- at a cost of $650,000. The sum was approved in the city’s 2025 budget and comes from the Olympic Gravity Water System Fund, which is paid into by the city and Port Townsend Paper.

The Lords Lake East Dam — one of two dams holding Port Towsend’s secondary water supply and the primary source of water for the Port Townsend Paper Mill — was rated in poor condition by the Washington State Damn Safety Office in 2020, with a geotechnical analysis indicating that the dam did not meet the minimum stability requirements under seismic loading. The repair itself is estimated to cost $1.64 million. 

GeoEngineers — a Seattle-based engineering and earth science consulting firm — completed its investigation of the dam on behalf of the city in January, confirming the state’s findings. The city paid GeoEngineers $150,000 for their investigation, which it calls Phase I. Following their assessment, the state required the city to hire an engineering firm to assess further the dam and estimate costs for recommended fixes to improve its stability.

“The report found that there are loose soils in the earthern embankment near the base of the dam. This confirms the Department of Ecology’s assessment of the dam being rated as poor relative to seismic stability,” wrote Steve King, the city’s public works director. 

GeoEngineers’ report illustrates that the East Dam is at risk of failure during an earthquake because of a liquefiable soil layer beneath it. If an earthquake occurred, the soil would behave like a liquid during shaking and potentially lead to a collapse or breach. 

Four methods of seismic stabilization were considered by GeoEngineers: toe buttress, seepage control, a seepage barrier wall or ground improvement. 

Ultimately, GeoEngineers recommended toe buttresses to balance cost and seismic resilience. It involves removing the weak, liquefiable soils, backfilling the area with engineered material to improve strength and installing drain pipes to manage water flow and prevent erosion. 

The city is also prioritizing pipeline improvements to help with water storage efficiency and maximize water supply to Lord’s Lake.

King said it’s hard to say just how dire these repairs are and stressed the $1.64 million is an estimate.

“The bottom line is that it is important to make investments in the dam as it might not survive a large quake, based on the study. Also, any damage to the dam, even if it is not dire, is likely at a minimum to jeopardize the water supply because Lords Lake would likely need to be lowered to safely operate.”

While the state hasn’t set a repair timeline, King expects the project to start as early as 2027.  

King said the final cost of the repair is still up in the air. 

“We will not know the final costs until permits are received and bids are solicited,” King wrote. “The good news is that we think the total project cost for both the dam retrofit and the pipeline project will be less than projected in the water supply agreement thanks to the expertise and good work of our consultant, GeoEngineers for finding practical and the most cost-effective solution.”

King was hopeful that funding for the fix would be available through FEMA, “but that funding source is likely drying up,” he wrote. 

“We keep our eyes open for grants and this would be a City responsibility to apply.  We would not expect that the County or State would assist under current regulations and funding shortfalls.”