For More Information Contact:
Lance Robertson, 984-4716 or Karl Morgenstern, 954-1118
Eugene Water & Electric Board

April 19, 2006

EWEB receives governor’s grant for McKenzie cleanup

Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski on Wednesday awarded the Eugene Water & Electric Board a $40,220 grant to remove obsolete agricultural chemicals in the McKenzie River basin.

The funds, which were among the $346,210 awarded by the newly created Oregon Governor’s Fund for the Environment, also will benefit agricultural chemical cleanup efforts along the Middle Fork of the Willamette River.

Karl Morgenstern, EWEB’s drinking water protection coordinator, was in Portland on Wednesday morning for a grant-award ceremony conducted by the governor. Morgenstern was instrumental in acquiring the grant on behalf of EWEB and the other local agencies.

“Grants from the fund will help our local communities restore habitats, clean up streams and ensure that our children have clean air to breathe and safe water to drink,” the governor said at Tuesday’s ceremony.

The grant money, which will be matched by $53,283 in EWEB and other agency funds or in-kind services, will provide assistance and information for landowners to dispose of unsecured chemicals, will pay for a chemical-volume survey, and fund the collection and disposal of chemicals.

EWEB’s share of the local match will be about $24,000 in cash and in-kind assistance. The Springfield Utility Board will kick in $10,000, and Lane County Waste Management will provide in-kind services of $10,000. Other partners in the project are the OSU Extension Service, Oregon Health Division, Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, McKenzie Fire & Rescue, Mohawk Valley Fire, Springfield Fire & Life Safety, East Lane Soil and Water Conservation District and the Region 2 HazMat team.

-- end -