Related News
Related News
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The Big Freeze 2024: After Action Report
Winter 2024 was one for the records books, and we'll look back on it for years to come and say, "That was a doozy!" The back-to-back January Ice Storms caused widespread damage to EWEB’s service territory, affecting approximately 38,000 customers. Preliminary repair costs were over $8 million, and additional repairs to transmission lines are still required.
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Fixing the Unseen: Water Pipeline Replacement in Unincorporated Eugene
Learn more about EWEB's methods for monitoring and replacing aged water pipelines.
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Spring Cleaning? How about Spring Emergency Preparedness!
Spring is officially here and that means the plants are blooming, the sun is (sometimes) shining, and the grass is green! We've had our fair share of severe weather already, but spring weather is notoriously unpredictable. While you're in the midst of spring cleaning and garden care, consider completing these emergency preparedness tasks.
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EWEB General Manager Delivers 2024 State of the Utility
General Manager Frank Lawson delivered his address at the March 5 public Board of Commissioners meeting
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Nine days without power: My ice storm story as an EWEB customer and employee
While beautiful and peaceful, buying a home on the edge of the forest and surrounded by trees has its tradeoffs. Moving “upriver,” I knew there would be more threats to prepare for, including Mother Nature’s seasonal surprises.
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EWEB achieves power restoration milestone over the weekend
Crews have so far restored power for 92% of customers who originally lost power at the height of the ice storm.
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Reenergized McKenzie River Valley transmission lines allow EWEB crews to restore power upriver
On Friday, a majority of EWEB crews tackled power restoration efforts upriver, after federally managed transmission lines were reenergized Thursday.
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EWEB estimates one week to complete power system restoration
On Wednesday, EWEB crews restored power for about 10,000 customers by repairing large equipment first.
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Second round of ice and ensuing thaw prompt mass power outages
On Wednesday, all EWEB crews, who have been working nonstop since Saturday, traversed EWEB’s service territory assessing the damage and restoring transmission lines and main power feeders.
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Power restored at EWEB’s water treatment plant
Crews restored electric power at EWEB's Hayden Bridge Water Filtration Plant Monday evening, allowing operators to switch off the generators and rely again on the grid. Meanwhile, EWEB crews brace for additional outages amidst second round of ice and during the coming thaw.
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EWEB crews making downed lines safe and restoring power across Eugene and the foothills
As EWEB works to restore electric service to customers affected by the ice storm, the customer-owned utility is following established policies and its “hierarchy of repair” to prioritize repairs that restore electric service to the greatest number of customers.
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Leaburg Decommissioning Action Plan
Plan details next steps through regulatory processes to begin dismantling Leaburg Dam by 2032.
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What’s ahead in 2024: General manager’s message to EWEB customer-owners
At the start of the new year, we back at accomplishments from 2023 and look ahead at what's to come in 2024.
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Currin Substation: End of year update
EWEB Engineer Philip Peterson explains what's been happening in the final stretch to complete the substation rebuild.
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EWEB 2023 year in review
In 2023, EWEB invested in our community with grants, rebates and an array of other programs and measures aimed at fulfilling our core values of safety, reliability, affordability, environmental responsibility and community/culture.
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Powered by People Like Lisa
February 13, 2020
As Lisa's career with EWEB enters its final stage, there's something almost fated about it.
Over 28 years ago at the encouragement of a friend, Lisa first met with an EWEB HR representative who was interested in recruiting more women to apply for trades positions at the utility. At the time, Lisa was working in the timber industry as a heavy equipment operator and knew she didn't want a career working in mills. She started keeping her eye out for positions with EWEB.
Her foot in the door was as a temporary employee in meter reading. From there, she moved into a utility worker position. "I spent ten hours a day on the end of a weed eater upriver," says Lisa.
Following were a variety of limited-duration positions in landscaping, meter reading and as a truck driver in the water division before Lisa landed in water construction as a meter mechanic. After a handful of years, she took her skills to the pumps and reservoirs team.
"That was a cool job," says Lisa. "I was one of three people operating the water distribution system. People don't think about it, because we do it successfully. During big power outages, everyone's focused on the electric side and we're running around town making sure we don't lose a reservoir-you need power to pump water. But no one thinks about it, because we've done our job and there's still water coming from the tap."
All along the way, Lisa found opportunities to encourage and support other women. She attended leadership trainings and was involved with the non-profit organization Oregon Tradeswomen, supporting women's participation in skilled trades. But the thing that seems to bring the most joy to her face is the work she did over the years to help organize hands-on career fairs for young people.
"There was this time when a girl got on a roller at one of the career fairs and when she first sat up there, she was, you know, a little slumped over." Lisa slouches in her chair to demonstrate. "A little like 'I don't know. Can I do this?' And then as she started moving the roller around a little she just kept sitting up taller and taller." And Lisa sits up taller and taller in her chair. "It made me teary watching her. Like I was seeing her gain self-esteem right in front of me," recalls Lisa.
As she nears retirement, Lisa has made her last position change with EWEB that has brought her nearly thirty years full circle. She's a Special Projects Coordinator working on diversity, equity and inclusion.
"My experience here has grown how I value people," says Lisa. "It's exciting to end my career in this role. I had all these skills grow while I was doing a technical job, and now I'm getting to use them. My passion is now for the workforce. If we can show up and feel like we belong, we serve customers better."
Lisa doesn't just belong at EWEB, she belongs in this final role at EWEB. And while we will be sad to see her retire in the coming months, we are proud of the work she has done and the positive impact she has had on so many people at EWEB and beyond.
Thank you Lisa for your role in providing customers with vital services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.