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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Celebrate Earth Month by taking charge of your home's energy use
This Earth Month, learn how you can reduce your energy usage to help protect our planet and reduce carbon emissions.
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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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Preparation and Resilience: How EWEB Maintained Water Service During Recent Ice Storm
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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 focusing on restoring electric service for Hayden Bridge Water Filtration Plant
With more ice forecasted for Tuesday, all EWEB crews are in the field assessing outages and restoring power.
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EWEB Drills Down on Winter Storm Preparation
October 27, 2022
Imagine if heavy snowfall and freezing rain hit Eugene this winter. Imagine damaged trees, road closures and widespread power outages.
What would you do?
EWEB’s electric division and emergency management staff imagined that exact scenario this week during a mock winter storm power outage drill that is conducted every year. More than 60 staff members participated in the drill that simulated a five-day storm scenario where power was lost to over 18,000 customers.
The thought of such a widespread outage can be alarming, but it’s a reality we can’t ignore. You may recall the ice storm of December 2016 or the “snowpocalypse” in February of 2019 that dumped 18-plus inches of snow, both of which left more than 20,000 Eugene homes without power for days.
Living in the Pacific Northwest means beautiful landscapes and a full range of seasonal weather, including extreme weather events. What can we do to combat extreme winter storms? Be prepared.
The drill conducted this week is called the “Blue Sky Drill” and is an annual practice ahead of winter storm season. Just as we would in a real emergency event, staff activated an Incident Command System, a standardized approach to incident management used by government agencies at all levels. Roles and teams are established for safety, planning, operations, logistics, interagency coordination and public communication. Each team works simultaneously to coordinate and resolve issues that arise during emergency response.
The drill helps identify gaps in plans and training, develop skills, reveal resource needs, and improve internal and external coordination. It enables staff to test their skills and practice working together across all departments to handle a large-scale outage restoration.
“A part of preparing for storm season is a shift in our frame of mind to align with the shift in seasons,” said Tyler Nice, EWEB electric operations manager. “I think this drill helped us activate that mindset across the utility by working towards a common goal, finetuning our processes, and identifying areas of improvement before we are faced with an actual storm.”
Emergency management partners from Lane County and the City of Eugene also participated in the drill. Their insights helped improve our multi-agency coordination with road, tree and emergency management processes.
Running through a mock widespread outage is just one-way that EWEB is preparing for the possibility of a weather-related incident. We are also replacing aging infrastructure and developing redundant power and water sources . Focusing on emergency preparedness and response will always be a strategic priority for EWEB as we continue to provide safe and reliable electricity and water to customers.
Here are a few ways you can prepare your home and family ahead of winter:
- Store 14 gallons of water per person (one gallon per person, per day is enough for two weeks)
- Stock up on nonperishable food for the entire family
- Build an emergency kit for your vehicle
- Stock up on batteries and power banks to recharge cell phones and other electronic devices
- Buy a battery powered radio
- Join EWEB’s Pledge to Prepare
To receive emergency alerts by email, sign up for EWEB’s Emergency Alert & Preparedness email list.