
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 MoreTo maintain the reliability customers have come to know and trust, EWEB must address an aging infrastructure bubble.
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 MoreFor the past year, EWEB’s electric division has been preparing for a complete reconstruction of the Currin substation. Quite simply, it’s reached the end of its useful life.
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 has awarded nearly $125,000 in grant funds to local organizations that promote electric mobility and reduce community carbon emissions.
Find Out MoreIn January, our elected Board of Commissioners approved an agreement for EWEB to make an unprecedented bulk purchase of substation transformers.
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 MoreDespite an ice storm and a few windstorms in Eugene and the McKenzie Valley in the past few weeks, EWEB has so far fended off widespread weather-caused power outages – largely because of investments in year-round system maintenance and infrastructure improvements.
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 MoreEnergy Efficiency tips to help you reduce your energy usage for National Cut your Energy Costs Day
Find Out MoreCommissioners unanimously voted to approve a Record of Decision endorsing the General Manager's Recommendation to decommission the Leaburg Hydroelectric Project and approved Resolution 2302 directing the GM to develop a Leaburg Hydroelectric Project Decommissioning Action Plan
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 MoreAugust 01, 2022
EWEB’s removal of 31 miles of electric conductor and 159 poles spanning five miles along the McKenzie Highway is now underway. This removal project will improve the community's aesthetic, reduce maintenance costs, and decrease environmental impact.
“The decision to get rid of the lines, instead of rebuilding them, will increase customer reliability and allow us to connect to the broader system more efficiently while reducing wildfire risk,” said Tyler Nice, EWEB Electric Division Manager.
This unique opportunity to reduce the infrastructure footprint and maintenance costs will also improve wildfire mitigation because less infrastructure means less chance of ignition or damage from a fire.
“Removing these transmission lines is just the right thing to do,” said Jebediah Wolfe, EWEB Project Manager, “having the poles up and wires attached is unnecessary at this point.”
The poles, supporting two, 3-phase circuits, once transmitted power from the Walterville substation to the Leaburg substation. The lines were de-energized in 2019 as part of the Holden Creek substation project. The Holden Creek substation improved the resiliency of our McKenzie River transmission system by replacing the Leaburg substation, originally built in the early 1930s. Replacing the lines was one of several options, but ultimately, EWEB opted to pay a small interconnection fee to use the existing, adjacent power lines owned by the Bonneville Power Administration. This decision was cost-effective because the estimate for repairing and replacing the current lines was $10.6 million.
The decision to use Bonneville’s existing lines saved EWEB millions of dollars and provided the opportunity to lessen the community impact. Many of the poles scheduled for removal are on private property – in fields, over houses and driveways. Private property owners will appreciate the removal and restoration on their land.
While this project is exciting for the local community, it’s important to note that this was a unique opportunity to plan new projects and use existing infrastructure strategically to avoid costs while reducing footprint and impact.
“I’m so proud of our team for thinking outside the box and coming up with an alternative to the standard ‘replace-in-kind’ approach,” said Nice.
EWEB crews will be hard at work removing the transmission lines and poles throughout the summer, and we anticipate project completion in September of 2022.
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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