Related News
Related News
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Imagine a Day Without Water 2024
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2024 Public Power Week Poster Contest
To celebrate Public Power Week, EWEB is held our annual poster contest for fifth graders in our service area. Help us choose the winners.
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“We're just surrounded with people who are really helpful."
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Hundreds of attendees practiced filling up water containers at Saturday's demonstration event.
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Source Water Protection Week: Our Commitment to Clean Water
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EWEB Communications Team Wins Top Awards at Northwest Innovations in Communications Conference
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EWEB invests in preparedness for severe weather and natural disasters
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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
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Community members can test out climate-friendly e-bikes at E-Bike Expo on Saturday
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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 will close College Hill Reservoir site for Fourth of July
June 28, 2023 • Aaron Orlowski, EWEB Communications
EWEB will continue the annual closure of its College Hill Reservoir over the Fourth of July holiday.
For the past several years, EWEB has restricted access to the reservoir surface around the Fourth of July to ensure people do not set off fireworks which can damage the roof and potentially impact drinking water quality.
Setting off fireworks is prohibited across the entire City of Eugene to prevent fires. Fireworks are also prohibited in Lane County open space, parks and recreation areas and in federally or state-managed areas like Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service and Oregon State Parks.
At College Hill, only the surface of the south water tank will be closed over the holiday. EWEB will lock the gates to the surface Friday, June 30. The gates will re-open Wednesday, July 5.
EWEB invites the public to enjoy the ungated public space respectfully.
“College Hill’s primary function, and EWEB’s top priority, is storing and protecting drinking water,” said EWEB Water Operations Manager Mike Masters. “Closing the College Hill reservoir over the Fourth of July holiday has been an effective way to protect the surface of the tank from further damage and water contamination risks.”
A volunteer neighborhood reservoir watch has been in place for years to help reduce risks to water quality from people using the water storage facility for recreation, and EWEB has invested close to $1 million over the past decade on temporary fixes to the 80-year-old facility. Despite improvements, the structure is still susceptible to contamination and has reached the end of its useful life.
Approximately 80,000 people in Eugene rely on the 15 million-gallon College Hill Reservoir for their drinking water. EWEB will dismantle the leaky and antiquated reservoir and replace it in the coming years with new, modern drinking water storage tanks built to withstand major earthquakes. Construction could begin as early as 2024.