EWEB Hosts Annual Spill Drill to Protect McKenzie River
EWEB led emergency responders in its annual “spill drill” on the McKenzie River on Wednesday, Oct. 15, at the Trail Bridge Campground.
To conduct the drill, dozens of utility workers, emergency responders, watershed scientists, and hazardous materials specialists will wade into the river to set up fast-water containment booms. The floating booms direct surface contaminants like oil into a skimmer that would remove it from the water. Team members control the booms with a series of ropes spanning the river.
EWEB coordinates the drill as part of the utility’s work to protect the McKenzie River – the source of drinking water for more than 200,000 residents of the Eugene metro area.
“The spill drill is helpful to keep our partnerships working well so that we’ll be ready in the case of a real incident,” EWEB Water Resources Supervisor Susan Fricke said.
The annual drill brings together members of the McKenzie Watershed Emergency Response System (MWERS). More than a dozen local, state, and federal agencies participate, including McKenzie Fire & Rescue, Eugene-Springfield Fire Hazmat, the Lane County Sheriff’s Office, the Springfield Utility Board, City of Springfield, Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, and the U.S. Forest Service. The system uses an emergency notification system and detailed mapping to give emergency crews information and instructions for containing spills at pre-designated deployment sites throughout the watershed.
EWEB has recently finished upgrades to the Trail Bridge Campground as part of its work to relicense the Carmen-Smith Hydroelectric Project. The campground will reopen next spring.
To report a real hazardous material spill in the McKenzie or Willamette Rivers, observers can call the Oregon Emergency Response System (OERS) at 1-800-452-0311 or the Hayden Bridge Water Treatment Plant at 541-341-8500.
