Related News
Related News
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“We're just surrounded with people who are really helpful."
Michele Victor lost her home, septic system, and two cats to the fire. But thanks to EWEB's Septic System Repair and Replacement Grants, she is one step closer to rebuilding her home.
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EWEB Partners with the City and YMCA to Celebrate New Amazon Park Emergency Water Station Site
Hundreds of attendees practiced filling up water containers at Saturday's demonstration event.
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Salmon Watch program introduces next generation to their natural heritage on McKenzie River
It takes a village of watershed councils, teachers, and volunteers to bring hundreds of students to the water's edge to participate in their natural heritage.
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Source Water Protection Week: Our Commitment to Clean Water
EWEB celebrates our community's commitment to protecting the McKenzie River, the source of Eugene's drinking water.
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EWEB Communications Team Wins Top Awards at Northwest Innovations in Communications Conference
Competing against public utilities from across the region, EWEB brought home two significant awards in recognition of our work to engage and inform the community.
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September is National Preparedness Month: 3 tips to prepare your home & family
Let's "Be Ready" together!
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EWEB invests in preparedness for severe weather and natural disasters
Just as you take steps to safeguard your home and family, EWEB is investing in equipment and processes to ensure our community’s electric and water systems remain reliable in the face of adversity.
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EWEB customers achieve remarkable results in environmental stewardship through EWEB's Lead Green programs
Subscribers of EWEB's Lead Green programs helped reduce carbon emissions in 2023 by 730 metric tons of CO2e.
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EWEB, SUB and RWD join forces at Lane County Fair to distribute water to fairgoers
The Eugene Water & Electric Board, Springfield Utility Board and Rainbow Water District are teaming up for the 9th year to provide fairgoers with clean, cold free water.
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Community members can test out climate-friendly e-bikes at E-Bike Expo on Saturday
EWEB encourages Eugene residents to ride into summer on clean, accessible e-bikes, with a $300 e-bike rebate.
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EWEB Hosts Dinner to Appreciate Customers of the McKenzie River Valley
EWEB hosted a customer appreciation dinner at the Walterville Community Center on Thursday, May 23, in place of its yearly upriver Board meeting. The event allowed customers, EWEB Commissioners, and staff to share a meal and openly discuss topics most relevant to the McKenzie Valley community.
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EWEB bids a fond farewell to College Hill Reservoir and prepares for modern drinking water storage tanks
Several hundred Eugene residents came together on May 30 for a Farewell Celebration at EWEB’s College Hill Reservoir before demolition and construction to build modern drinking water storage tanks begins later this year.
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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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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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City and EWEB Reach Agreement on Sale of Riverfront Property
April 13, 2017
In April 2017, EWEB and the city of Eugene reached an agreement for the sale of the utility's riverfront property, marking a key milestone in the efforts to redevelop the site. The riverfront property holds enormous redevelopment potential, enabling acres of underutilized downtown property along the Willamette River to transition from industrial to a mix of uses that include residential, retail and office.
The transformation of the approximately 16-acre property is a critical piece in connecting Eugene's downtown to the Willamette River and creating an active place for the entire community. EWEB has done much of the groundwork to prepare the property for a different future, including adopting a site master plan with broad community support and rezoning the property to allow for mixed use development and a public park along the river's edge.
"This is a tremendous and long-awaited opportunity to transition the property from its industrial origins to a future that benefits the whole community," said EWEB General Manager Frank Lawson. "I'm confident that the site, even with its development challenges, can become a lively riverfront destination that supports the revitalization of the downtown and our overall economic prosperity."
The sale of the property for $5.75 million is a negotiated price based on two previous property appraisals. It does not include about 5 acres of property where the utility's headquarters, customer service center and associated parking is located, but does consider the level of public infrastructure investments needed to bring about the type of development envisioned. This includes a new riverfront park and an improved railroad crossing to access the property, among with other investments that improve connectivity from downtown to the river.
While the headquarters is not in play at this time, EWEB is actively involved in a planning process to consolidate staff at the utility's Roosevelt Operations Center in west Eugene to make the remainder of the riverfront available for sale and redevelopment.
EWEB decided to sell the riverfront property in 2013 after relocating our operations and engineering functions to the better situated location in west Eugene. After the initial developer backed out of property sale negotiations in 2015, EWEB asked the city to take a lead role in negotiating sale of the surplus property. In July 2016, the Eugene City Council authorized the city manager to negotiate the outright purchase of the surplus property.
"The agreement with the city is the best path forward to realize the community-supported Master Plan vision and enables EWEB to focus attention on our core mission—reliable electric and water service," Lawson said. "I share the community's eagerness to see redevelopment get underway soon, and I'm confident that the city is best suited to work directly with private developers to make this project happen."
A webpage is now available on the city's website—www.eugene-or.gov/riverfront—with information regarding the redevelopment, including a new video highlighting the project.
EWEB will complete remaining environmental remediation work over the next several months. We share the community's interest in high quality development along the river in an environmentally responsible way, and look forward to seeing a legacy project emerge on this property that we can all be proud of for generations to come.