Related News
Related News
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EWEB opens application for 2024 Electric Mobility Community Grants
Grant awards of up to $30,000 to cover costs associated with electric mobility projects.
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Upgrades to Eugene's downtown electric network continue
You may have noticed construction this week on the corner of 7th and Pearl Street. That’s because crews replaced a corroded, aging vault with an innovative, new Voltek vault. The Voltek design allows for the new infrastructure to be built inside of the existing aging vault. We’re able to install the new vault while the cables are still energized, minimizing disruption to customers and traffic while cutting construction time in half.
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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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New tanks come online as EWEB modernizes water system
New drinking water storage tanks are one of several investments to ensure that EWEB can meet critical community needs in the event of an earthquake.
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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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State of the McKenzie Watershed
EWEB’s Drinking Water Source Protection (DWSP) team says the McKenzie River continues to be an excellent source for drinking water.
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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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EWEB unveils Leaburg Decommissioning Action Plan
January 10, 2024 • Adam Spencer, Communications Specialist
EWEB Commissioners unanimously approved an action plan for decommissioning EWEB’s Leaburg Hydroelectric Project at their Board meeting Tuesday. (Navigate to 1:13:13 in above video to skip to LDAP presentation)
The Leaburg Decommissioning Action Plan (LDAP) outlines the essential actions, activities, and regulatory processes required for the decommissioning of the Leaburg Project.
The objective of the LDAP is to position EWEB to begin on-the-ground decommissioning activities by 2032.
Decommissioning entails the removal of the Leaburg Dam and the restoration of the McKenzie River to a free-flowing state within the Project area.
EWEB is already implementing risk-reduction measures to mitigate dam safety concerns with the Leaburg Canal. The LDAP outlines ways the utility will permanently modify portions of the Leaburg Canal to safely convey tributary flows of creeks to the McKenzie River.
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) oversees EWEB’s hydropower license. In its plan, EWEB maps out how it will navigate FERC processes to retire the Project.
The FERC requires formal consultations with Indian Tribes, public agencies that manage natural resources and public health, as well as community members.
EWEB will also conduct extensive studies on decommissioning impacts, such as how the hydrology of the river will change, water quality impacts, and impacts to endangered species, in order to develop strategies to mitigate negative impacts.
The 1928 Project is also a State Historic District, so EWEB will need to consult with the State Historic Preservation Office to determine appropriate mitigation strategies.
EWEB staff estimate it will take at least five years to assemble all the information required to apply to modify its license with FERC.
FERC ordered EWEB to cease generation at the Project in October 2018 when observations of extensive seepage and internal erosion in the Leaburg Canal raised dam safety concerns.
EWEB Commissioners unanimously decided to decommission the Leaburg Project in January of 2023 after determining the costs to fix the canal would be more expensive than purchasing electricity from other sources.
The full LDAP report is available online at (clicking link will download PDF): https://www.eweb.org/your-public-utility/board-of-commissioners/2024-board-agendas-and-minutes/01-09-24-board-agenda.
