Purpose. This timeline summarizes the presently available record concerning the system's development, the 1996-98 reservoir expansion, later DOH findings, and the current consolidation/corrective-action history. It distinguishes documented facts from unresolved historical questions.
| Date | Event | Why it matters | Source / record |
| Early 1960s | Sequim Bay Resort water system originates under the John Wayne family; Silver Sand Spring was an early source. | Predecessor to the later combined Resort & Marina system. | 2015-16 Water System Plan (WSP), Water System History. |
| 1977 | Well #2 is drilled. | Later becomes an important source for the combined system. | 2015-16 WSP, Water System History. |
| 1984 | John Wayne Marina Water System #364211 is constructed by the Port of Port Angeles, including Well #1, 8- and 10-inch mains, and an approximately 75,000-gallon reservoir. The historical record states the water system was approved August 30, 1984. | Origin of the reservoir. The original 1984 reservoir drawings/approval package have not yet been located, so the exact design reviewed in 1984 remains unknown. | 2015-16 WSP; 2016 Sanitary Survey. |
| 1992 | The area is annexed into the City of Sequim. | The original 1984 reservoir predates annexation; this matters when tracing local permitting authority. | 2015-16 WSP, Water System History. |
| Oct.-Dec. 1995 | Engineering documents are submitted to DOH to combine the Sequim Bay Resort and John Wayne Marina systems and extend a water main. | This becomes DOH Project #109510. | DOH Project #109510 records contained in 2015-16 WSP appendices. |
| Jan. 3, 1996 | DOH approves Project #109510: merger of Sequim Bay Resort Water System #77601Y and John Wayne Marina Water System #364211, plus water-main extension. | Important correction: #109510 is the merger/water-main project, not the later reservoir-expansion project. | DOH approval letter, Jan. 3, 1996, Project #109510. |
| Feb.-Mar. 1996 | Joseph E. Donisi, P.E. signs the construction report for Project #109510; DOH acknowledges completion March 27, 1996. | Establishes Donisi's involvement with the system before the reservoir-expansion project. | DOH acknowledgement letter, Mar. 27, 1996, Project #109510. |
| Dec. 18-31, 1996 | Northwestern Territories, Inc. prepares/submits the '1996 Water System Improvements.' Joseph E. Donisi, P.E. is design engineer. The project description expressly includes Well Field Improvements, Reservoir Expansion, Booster Pump Station, and Transmission & Distribution Piping. | This is the actual reservoir-expansion project. DOH initially identifies it as Project #129612. | Project Approval Application / NTI submittal, Dec. 1996, Project #129612. |
| Jan. 22, 1997 | DOH says it has begun reviewing the project report and construction documents for Project #129612, but because the proposal increases source, storage, transmission and distribution capacity, an approved Water System Plan is required before approval. | The WSP that satisfied this requirement has not yet been located. DOH copied Joe Donisi, City of Sequim's Jim Bey, and Clallam County Environmental Health. | DOH letter, Jan. 22, 1997, Project #129612. |
| During 1997 | The reservoir-expansion project proceeds through additional planning/review. | Missing record: the WSP, amendment, or other planning documentation that satisfied DOH's January 1997 prerequisite. | Inferred from Jan. 22 and Dec. 11, 1997 DOH letters; underlying planning record not yet located. |
| Dec. 11, 1997 | DOH formally approves the project, identified in the later file as Project #96-1212: Wellfield Improvements, Reservoir Expansion, Booster Pump Station and Transmission Piping. DOH states that the construction documents and project report were reviewed and approved under WAC 246-290, based on conformance with standards revised July 1994. | Critical regulatory approval for the reservoir expansion. The actual approved plan sheets/project report have not yet been located. | DOH approval letter, Dec. 11, 1997, Project #96-1212 / #129612. |
| 1997-98 (exact date unresolved) | Two additional 37,500-gallon cells are added to the original two cells, increasing storage from approximately 75,000 to 150,000 gallons. The modular reservoir is described as designed for expansion to 300,000 gallons. | Physical expansion whose approved drawings are now a key missing record. The 2016 survey contains inconsistent year references (1996 narrative; 1985/1997 table). | 2016 Sanitary Survey, Finished Water Storage section. |
| Aug. 30, 1998 (appears) | The project file contains what appears to be an engineer-signed construction certification stating that the reservoir and other designed physical facilities were constructed in accordance with DOH-approved plans/specifications. | Potentially establishes engineered design -> DOH approval -> construction to approved plans. Signature/date should be verified from the original page before being treated as conclusive. | Construction certification contained in Project #96-1212 file. |
| Feb. 9, 2004 | DOH writes that its records show project approval on Dec. 11, 1997 but that it had not received a construction report or Water Facilities Inventory report. | Potential recordkeeping inconsistency because a construction certification appears in the historical file; it does not by itself establish wrongdoing. | DOH letter, Feb. 9, 2004, Project #96-1212. |
| 2015-16 | A later Water System Plan is developed and reviewed. | This is the WSP currently in the record; it is distinct from the planning document apparently required for the 1997 expansion approval. | Resort & Marina Water System Plan, ODW Project #15-0502. |
| July 20, 2016 | DOH sanitary survey examines the 150,000-gallon four-cell reservoir. | Provides the most detailed later description of the reservoir's physical configuration. | 2016 Sanitary Survey, Finished Water Storage section. |
| 2016 survey finding | DOH describes the reservoir as unusual, creative and well-built, but says it suffers from a 'serious critical flaw': an effectively unsealable open surface beneath extensive roof structure, planks and valve components. Animal droppings and floating material are observed. | Shows that DOH later regarded the reservoir configuration as fundamentally difficult to protect and maintain hygienically. | 2016 Sanitary Survey, p. 6 / Finished Water Storage narrative. |
| 2016 | DOH calls the reservoir an 'unmaintainable public health hazard' and says it should be 'replaced or eliminated as soon as possible.' | Strongest historical DOH warning concerning the reservoir. | 2016 Sanitary Survey, p. 6. |
| 2016 | Owner and City are described as agreeable to eventual transfer/consolidation, with corrective-action planning contemplated. | Marks movement toward consolidation rather than immediate reservoir replacement. | 2016 Sanitary Survey and associated planning records. |
| 2022 | The later WSP expires. | The system subsequently remains out of compliance with its WSP requirement. | 2026 Sanitary Survey; DOH portal/pre-adequacy information. |
| Aug. 2023 | The system agrees to a Corrective Action Plan centered on consolidation with the City of Sequim. | Consolidation becomes the identified long-term corrective path. | 2026 Sanitary Survey discussion of CAP. |
| Dec. 2024 | The CAP timeline calls for consolidation by December 2024; consolidation is not completed by that date. | One of the clearest missed corrective milestones in the available record. | 2026 Sanitary Survey. |
| 2025 | Records describe multiple low or sometimes undetectable chlorine-residual complaints. | Relevant because maintaining chlorine residual was emphasized as interim protection while the reservoir remained in service. | 2026 Sanitary Survey. |
| Feb. 27 / Mar. 19, 2026 | DOH performs/issues another sanitary survey. It states that 'The storage reservoir poses health risks,' that the CAP called for consolidation by Dec. 2024, and that 'The system is currently out of compliance.' | Confirms the reservoir remains in service roughly a decade after the 2016 warning and consolidation has not occurred. | 2026 Sanitary Survey. |
| 2026 survey | DOH directs the system to revise the CAP, update timelines, and provide a new, specific project-completion deadline to avoid further enforcement. DOH states that returning to compliance requires consolidation with the City and isolation of the reservoir. | Key current corrective requirement. | 2026 Sanitary Survey. |
| Apr. 17, 2026 | Deadline associated with response/ correction of significant survey deficiencies. | Should not be confused with the still-unresolved ultimate consolidation/ project-completion deadline. | 2026 Sanitary Survey corrective requirements. |
| July 9-11, 2026 | Major water outage affects customers. Emergency measures include temporary City water and boil-water precautions. | Demonstrates a reliability/supply problem in addition to the reservoir's sanitary concerns. | Customer/operator communications from July 2026; DOH records requested for confirmation. |
| Aug. 2026 | DOH states it is working with current management to better ensure reliable drinking-water service and describes potential City consolidation as a long-term solution, while referencing capacity development and technical assistance. | Raises the current question of what concrete interim and project-completion requirements are being enforced. | Email from Ben Majors, WA DOH, Aug. 24, 2026. |
| Sept. 30, 2026 | Targeted questions and a public-records request are sent to DOH regarding the revised CAP, deadlines, deficiency status, enforcement, chlorine records, complaints and historical records. | Expected production is April; these records may clarify the current completion deadline and DOH response after the missed 2024 CAP date. | Sept. 30, 2026 correspondence with WA DOH. |
| Oct. 2026 | DOH portal information shows 'Water System Plan Requirement: Out of Compliance' while also showing no current violation/ compliance action. | Portal categories require explanation and should not be treated as proof that the reservoir issue has been resolved. | WA DOH drinking-water portal / Pre-Adequacy Summary, generated Oct. 2026. |
Project-number key
| Identifier | Documented scope | Key dates |
| DOH Project #109510 | Merger of Sequim Bay Resort #77601Y and John Wayne Marina #364211, plus water-main extension. | Submitted 1995; approved Jan. 3, 1996; completion acknowledged Mar. 27, 1996. |
| DOH Project #129612 / #96-1212 | Wellfield Improvements, Reservoir Expansion, Booster Pump Station, and Transmission/Distribution Piping. | Submitted Dec. 1996; review issue Jan. 22, 1997; approved Dec. 11, 1997. |
Key unresolved records
• 1984 approval package: original reservoir plans, specifications, engineering review, and Aug. 30, 1984 approval documentation.
• 1997 planning prerequisite: the Water System Plan, amendment, or other planning record that satisfied the requirement identified in DOH's Jan. 22, 1997 letter.
• Project #129612 / #96-1212: complete project report, approved construction plan sheets, specifications, revisions, calculations, and DOH engineering-review comments.
• Construction timing: documentation establishing when the two additional reservoir cells were actually constructed relative to DOH's Dec. 11, 1997 approval.
Why the 1997 drawings matter
The surviving record establishes that DOH reviewed and approved construction documents for a project expressly including reservoir expansion. The later 2016 sanitary survey describes physical features that DOH considered fundamentally problematic. The missing approved plan set is therefore important for determining whether those later-criticized features were actually depicted in the design reviewed and approved by DOH. Until those drawings are located, that question remains unresolved.
Principal records used
Resort and Marina Water System Plan, ODW Project #15-0502
Historical system information and appendices including Jan. 3 and Mar. 27, 1996 DOH correspondence for Project #109510.
Resort and Marina Sanitary Survey Report, July 20, 2016
Four-cell reservoir description and DOH findings concerning maintainability and public-health risk.
Resort_and_Marina_36421_12_9612_Wellfield_Improv-BPS_1997to2016.pdf
Historical DOH project file for Project #129612 / #96-1212, including application, review correspondence, approval, and later completion-report correspondence.
Resort and Marina Sanitary Survey, Feb./Mar. 2026
Later health-risk finding, missed Dec. 2024 CAP timeline, current out-of-compliance finding, and revised-CAP requirements.
WA DOH Office of Drinking Water portal records, 2026
Monitoring, WFI, compliance-action and pre-adequacy information; portal labels should be read alongside underlying records.
Email correspondence with WA DOH, Aug.-Sept. 2026
Questions concerning escalation, consolidation, corrective timelines, enforcement and the targeted records request.
Prepared: October 2026 Water System: Resort & Marina #364211
Read the evidence in context
A summary is not a substitute for the underlying record. When reviewing a document, consider its date, author, purpose and whether later records change its meaning.
Missing information is not proof of a particular conclusion. If you spot an error or have a source that adds context, please flag it.