First Emergency Water Station Debuts Oct. 6
In partnership with the Bethel School District, we'll open the first emergency water distribution station at the Bethel Farm on Oct. 6 with a "FILL UP at the Farm" grand opening event (en espanol).
A key component of EWEB's ongoing initiative to prepare for emergencies, whether earthquake, forest fire or other disaster, is to establish at least five of these geographically dispersed emergency water stations within the next five years.
These stations will provide a reliable supply of water in order to maintain public health and safety in an emergency. The water will come from existing, refurbished or new wells, with pumps powered by backup generators or through a microgrid system that can run off solar-charged batteries.
The Bethel Farm emergency water station takes advantage of an existing well and will be supplemented with a back-up generator that will power the pump in case of an electric outage so that this site can deliver water to our community during an emergency.
The Oct. 6 FILL UP at the Farm event will offer free 3-gallon emergency water storage containers (one per person) while supplies last. The event will run from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Bethel Farm is located off Patriot Way behind Prairie Mountain School at 5305 Royal Ave.
A second project is underway at Howard Elementary School. With the help of our partners at the Eugene School District 4J, this second emergency water station will include a microgrid system for standby power. Rechargeable batteries will be powered by solar panels already in place at the school, allowing this system to provide backup electricity to the school in addition to powering the well pump during an emergency.
For more information on EWEB's Water Reliability Initiative, visit eweb.org/waterreliability.
