Related News
Related News
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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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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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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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Leaburg Decommissioning Action Plan
Plan details next steps through regulatory processes to begin dismantling Leaburg Dam by 2032.
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Currin Substation: End of year update
EWEB Engineer Philip Peterson explains what's been happening in the final stretch to complete the substation rebuild.
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EWEB Recognized with Excellence in Communications Awards from American Public Power Association
We are proud to have been recognized with two Excellence in Public Power Communications Awards for 2023 from the American Public Power Association (APPA).
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River Road Substation returns to service after infrastructure upgrades
Supply chain shortages and proactive infrastructure investments, including constructing seismic foundations and implementing control modernization, have played a role in the substation's return-to-service timeline.
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Fall is the perfect time to prepare for winter storm season
Winter is coming, which increases the likelihood of storm-related power outages. It's important to be prepared, and there are simple actions you can take right now.
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EWEB seeks public input on electric vehicle, demand response standards
EWEB is seeking public input on the potential adoption of updated standards for electric vehicles (EVs) and demand response programs. The potential standards are derived from the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act, or PURPA.
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Public Power Week Poster Contest 2023
It’s that time of year again! October 1-7 is Public Power Week. To celebrate, EWEB is holding our annual poster contest for fifth graders in our service area. Help us pick the winners.
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Where is EWEB in planning our future electricity supply?
In August, we reached a milestone: EWEB’s five-member elected Board of Commissioners approved an action plan to guide our energy supply choices for the next 2-3 years. How did we get here?
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Women in STEM: EWEB Engineer Laura Ohman's second degree brings a lifetime of benefits
EWEB Engineer Laura Ohman shares how getting her second degree was one of the most difficult and rewarding things she's ever accomplished.
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Planning for a Future of Reliable, Affordable, Environmentally Responsible Energy
The challenges revealed by Eugene Water & Electric Board’s integrated resource planning process mirror those facing the Northwest.
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EWEB’s heat driven call to conserve energy yields major savings
EWEB is likely to implement similar, formalized “demand response” programs in the future.
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Fake Geese, Drones, and Glow-in-the-Dark Markers: How EWEB Protects Birds from Powerlines
June 24, 2022
When EWEB began receiving reports of Canada Geese refusing to leave our powerline poles in the McKenzie Valley, EWEB Environmental Specialist Andrew Janos knew his Osprey Protection Program was a success.
The fake geese are meant to prevent Osprey from setting up nests on cross arms – but in this case, they tricked some people, too!
“If you have ever had an angry Canada Goose charge you, you’ll know how fearless and determined they can be, and bullying Osprey out of their nests is quite common,” Janos said, explaining his goose decoy program. “Due to the fact that they typically nest before Osprey (in February vs. March-April), they often beat to the Osprey to their own nests and lay eggs in them. Based on this observed blatant intimidation, utilities have been putting up decoys for a while as a general deterrent to nesting Ospreys/raptors.”
EWEB has constructed Osprey nesting platforms throughout the McKenzie Valley, but sometimes Osprey try to build a nest on top of cross arms. If allowed, the sticks and debris can create a fire hazard and cause power outages – and puts the birds at risk.
“There are official perch/nesting deterrents on the market, but why not use something that is biologically recognizable to the birds and a conversation piece?” Janos said.
The goose decoys are just one of the many ways EWEB works to protect migrating birds and waterfowl. Last summer, EWEB installed brightly-colored markers on powerlines over water crossings to help birds see the powerlines and avoid flying into them.
Installing these bird flight diverters is part of EWEB’s greater environmental mitigation requirements for relicensing the Carmen-Smith Hydroelectric Project, along with other fisheries and wildlife. EWEB worked with biologist JD Dwyer to install approximately 140 markers across 8 water crossings.
Dwyer used a drone to attach the markers. This new method is both more cost-effective and safer than installing them by helicopter, which is how they're usually installed.
In his graduate research, Dwyer helped develop this drone deployment method, along with other avian avoidance systems.
“We have flown drones all across the country. We’ve done it in about 4 or 5 states,” he said. “It is very rewarding, because as biologists, so often we’re just monitoring something dying. So it is nice to be able to have an actual, real impact.”
Along with preventing bird collisions, EWEB is improving the Carmen-Smith Hydroelectric Project area by establishing fish passage for endangered bull trout and Chinook salmon, and building an improved spawning channel for salmonids.
“It's important to know for EWEB customers and ratepayers that this is one of the several examples of EWEB’s environmental commitment to protecting both wildlife and fisheries within our service area,” Janos said.