For More Information Contact:

Lance Robertson
541-984-4716

Well drilling begins for backup water supply

Drilling begins this week on the first well that will be part of the Eugene Water & Electric Board's effort to develop a backup supply of water.

Two production wells and four monitoring wells will be drilled this year near the confluence of the Willamette and McKenzie rivers. The wells, in the Coburg Road and Crescent Drive area, are among seven production well sites EWEB eventually may develop in the area between now and 2005, when the wellfield's first phase will be completed.

EWEB anticipates that the groundwater under the wellfield initially will provide about 15 million gallons of water during an emergency or other situations when the utility's McKenzie River source is limited. The cost of the project is estimated at between $8 million and $11 million, and will be financed by bonds.

Geo-Tech Explorations Inc., of Tualatin, Ore., is drilling the wells under a contract with EWEB. The first well is being drilled near the intersection of Grand Cayman Drive and Martinique Avenue.

The McKenzie River is the only source of water for more than 160,000 Eugene-area residents and businesses. A 1998 Water Supply Plan recognized that the McKenzie supply was at risk in the event of chemical spill or other emergency upriver from EWEB's intake plant. Unusually high summertime demand also could strain the McKenzie River treatment plant's ability to provide enough water to serve customers. EWEB's Board of Commissioners approved moving forward with wellfield development in December 2000.

Editors, news directors, reporters: Wellfield project coordinator Jay Bozievich is available for interviews. He can be reached at: 684-4759.