
Electric Outage: 1-844-484-2300
Water Emergency: 541-685-7595
EWEB Main: 541-685-7000
The Eugene Water & Electric Board (EWEB) is expanding its capacity to provide water to customers in case of an emergency.
Find Out MoreEWEB is already in compliance with a new proposed federal rule that would require municipalities to test for PFAs, or forever chemicals, in drinking water. The good news for EWEB customers is that in over ten years of testing we have not found PFAs in our water.
Find Out MoreGreenpower Grants, a program funded by voluntary Greenpower customer subscriptions is currently accepting applications. The grant will fund a high-impact project that increase the use of renewable energy sources, the adoption of emerging technologies, clean energy education and reduce or offset our community's carbon footprint.
Find Out MoreEugene is one of the largest cities on the west coast with only a single source of drinking water, the McKenzie River. And though the McKenzie is a pure, reliable water source, EWEB will secure a second source ensure resiliency in the future, planning to build a water treatment plant on the Willamette River, upstream of Eugene and Springfield.
Find Out MoreWith cold and icy weather forecasted for the next several days, we want to share some tips on how to heat your home while still conserving energy. We also have tips on how to stay warm if there is a power outage at your home.
Find Out MoreEWEB is building two 7.5-million-gallon water storage tanks on a 10-acre property at East 40th and Patterson Street in South Eugene. The tanks are part of our work to improve EWEB’s water storage infrastructure for future resiliency to earthquakes and climate change. People who live nearby have been watching the progress of the work since summer 2021.
Find Out MoreGrantees in the McKenzie River Valley can receive up to $35,000 each
Find Out MoreWorld Pulses Day is celebrated on February 10, and is a day to celebrate and spread information on the environmental and personal health benefits of pulses, aka beans, peas and lentils.
Find Out MoreEugene has some of the best drinking water in the world. That’s thanks to our source, the pristine McKenzie River. It’s also thanks to the people at EWEB; whether an engineer designing a new reservoir, a treatment plant operator ensuring the safety and quality of drinking water, or a member of a crew maintaining the infrastructure in our community, water professionals work around the clock to ensure tap water is there when you need it.
Find Out MoreAn EWEB-supported program provides firewood for people affected by the 2020 Holiday Farm Fire. The McKenzie Firewood program was developed by Pure Water Partners (PWP) in 2021.
Find Out MoreAt EWEB, we do what we can to help others in need. That’s been the reality for several of our electric and water crews over the past few weeks as we’ve responded to mutual aid requests for storm response and drinking water restoration, locally, and out of state.
Find Out MoreEWEB has 800 miles of transmission and distribution lines transporting your drinking water underground throughout the city. It eventually comes out of your tap as delicious thirst-quenching water. But what goes into maintaining all those pipes? And what happens when one gets a leak? We went to find out.
Find Out MoreEWEB makes electric mobility available to anyhone though e-bike rebates, car sharing and grants for local organizations with electric mobility projects.
Find Out MoreIn response to a call for aid this week, EWEB’s water division jumped into action to assist the town of Mapleton after a leak in their water system left about 260 homes without running water.
Find Out MoreWe all know LEDs use less energy, but what does that mean for your holiday budget in real dollars?
Find Out MoreMay 09, 2022
EWEB exceeded drinking water safety standards in 2021 for every type of contaminant regulated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Oregon Health Authority. The utility has never failed to meet the standards.
Details on the quality of EWEB’s drinking water can be found in the 2021 Consumer Confidence Report issued today.
“We’ve never been out of compliance for drinking water standards. This pattern of excellence repeats year after year after year, and we couldn’t be prouder of the fact that we get to serve this ultra-clean water to our customer-owners,” said Susan Fricke, EWEB’s water resources and quality assurance supervisor. “We’ve got great water here and we’re going to keep it that way.”
Some of the credit goes both to long-term planning efforts aimed at protecting Eugene’s water at the source, and to water treatment plant operators who diligently monitor levels of turbidity, organic compounds, mineral byproducts and other potential contaminants in the water as it comes into the Hayden Bridge Water Treatment Plant, adjusting various treatment strategies to remove contaminants.
“We have staff members working in the plant 24 hours a day, 365 days a year who are making adjustments and fine-tuning the water treatment so that the water that we deliver to customers is purified in the most cost-effective and efficient way,” Fricke said.
Additional credit goes to the distribution operators who take treated drinking water and move it through 800 miles of pipe, and to water quality specialists who take 85,000 samples each year to guarantee Eugene’s drinking water is safe and sanitary all the way to each home and business.
EWEB’s restoration work in the Holiday Farm Fire burn area has been crucial to protecting water quality in the McKenzie River watershed. Work through Pure Water Partners has included replanting trees and other native vegetation, removing invasive species, erosion control, mulching and fuels reduction. EWEB is also working with partners on large-scale restoration projects that help trap sediment, slow down water, restore watershed function and enhance habitat for fish and wildlife species.
Last year, EWEB’s Board of Commissioners approved a new program to pay for wildfire restoration projects through a flat fee temporarily assessed on all water customers. The monthly fee took effect in mid-2021 and will last for 5 years, paying for restoration work in the watershed that keeps EWEB water clean.
“Source water protection is a big part of how we make sure the water is clean. We keep an eye on trends throughout the watershed so we can address changes early on,” Fricke said. “We’re extremely grateful to our customer-owners for allocating funding every month to protect our watershed.”
A few additional water projects are on the horizon for EWEB. A second water treatment plant is planned for the Willamette River and would give EWEB a crucial second source of water. Currently, among the 20 largest cities in the Northwest, EWEB is the only one with just one source of drinking water, the McKenzie River. A backup supply is crucial for resilience in case a natural or human-caused disaster knocks EWEB’s treatment system offline.
EWEB is also bolstering resilience to disasters by upgrading and diversifying our water storage tanks, and by making plans for two additional emergency water distribution sites, bringing the total to seven.
In many regions of the country, lead contamination is a primary concern for water distribution systems. EWEB is fortunate, however, to not have any known lead service lines. EWEB meets all lead standards, but customers should still be aware that old pipes and faucet fixtures in their homes can leach lead into their household’s water.
“We’re really lucky here in Eugene that we don’t have to deal with a large system of lead pipes and the problems that could cause,” Fricke said. “Customers should still know that they could be introducing lead to their own water, possibly through lead solder on copper pipes made before 1986 and brass fixtures and faucets made before 2014.”
Customers can take a few proactive steps in their homes to make sure they’re not introducing lead to their water, including:
Additional tips and information can be found on the EPA’s website. Customers concerned about lead in their water may wish to have your water tested. Learn more about how to have your tap water tested for lead.
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Mailing Address: 4200 Roosevelt Blvd., Eugene, OR 97402
Phone: 541-685-7000
Toll free: 800-841-5871
Email: eweb.answers@eweb.org
Customer service phone hours: 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday - Friday