Related News
Related News
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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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New tanks come online as EWEB modernizes water system
New drinking water storage tanks are one of several investments to ensure that EWEB can meet critical community needs in the event of an earthquake.
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Spring Cleaning? How about Spring Emergency Preparedness!
Spring is officially here and that means the plants are blooming, the sun is (sometimes) shining, and the grass is green! We've had our fair share of severe weather already, but spring weather is notoriously unpredictable. While you're in the midst of spring cleaning and garden care, consider completing these emergency preparedness tasks.
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EWEB General Manager Delivers 2024 State of the Utility
General Manager Frank Lawson delivered his address at the March 5 public Board of Commissioners meeting
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State of the McKenzie Watershed
EWEB’s Drinking Water Source Protection (DWSP) team says the McKenzie River continues to be an excellent source for drinking water.
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Nine days without power: My ice storm story as an EWEB customer and employee
While beautiful and peaceful, buying a home on the edge of the forest and surrounded by trees has its tradeoffs. Moving “upriver,” I knew there would be more threats to prepare for, including Mother Nature’s seasonal surprises.
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EWEB achieves power restoration milestone over the weekend
Crews have so far restored power for 92% of customers who originally lost power at the height of the ice storm.
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Reenergized McKenzie River Valley transmission lines allow EWEB crews to restore power upriver
On Friday, a majority of EWEB crews tackled power restoration efforts upriver, after federally managed transmission lines were reenergized Thursday.
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EWEB estimates one week to complete power system restoration
On Wednesday, EWEB crews restored power for about 10,000 customers by repairing large equipment first.
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Second round of ice and ensuing thaw prompt mass power outages
On Wednesday, all EWEB crews, who have been working nonstop since Saturday, traversed EWEB’s service territory assessing the damage and restoring transmission lines and main power feeders.
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Power restored at EWEB’s water treatment plant
Crews restored electric power at EWEB's Hayden Bridge Water Filtration Plant Monday evening, allowing operators to switch off the generators and rely again on the grid. Meanwhile, EWEB crews brace for additional outages amidst second round of ice and during the coming thaw.
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EWEB crews making downed lines safe and restoring power across Eugene and the foothills
As EWEB works to restore electric service to customers affected by the ice storm, the customer-owned utility is following established policies and its “hierarchy of repair” to prioritize repairs that restore electric service to the greatest number of customers.
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Leaburg Decommissioning Action Plan
Plan details next steps through regulatory processes to begin dismantling Leaburg Dam by 2032.
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We're Holding Prices Steady Again in 2020
December 06, 2019
Eugene Water & Electric Board commissioners in early December unanimously approved a $329 million 2020 budget that includes no overall residential electric or water price increases.
2020 will mark the fifth time in the past six years with no residential electric price increase, and the third year in a row with no jump in residential water prices.
While water prices for EWEB customers will remain flat, our wholesale water customers such as the city of Veneta and the River Road and Santa Clara Water Districts will see a slight increase.
Holding prices steady is part of our ongoing Affordability Initiative to become more efficient, lower operating costs and reduce and restructure debt while still investing in capital projects that help improve reliability and emergency preparedness.
"Fostering customer confidence by maintaining sustainable spending levels will continue to be a primary focus for EWEB as is assessing the trend of how much of customers' median income is spent on utility bills," said Susan Fahey, chief financial officer and assistant general manager.
The "percentage of median income" metric is a good benchmark for measuring our progress on affordability. In 2017, for example, the monthly water and electric bill for the average residential customer was about 4.1 percent of the Eugene median household income. Through various cost-containment and efficiency strategies, that burden has been reduced to 3.7 percent. We will continue to look for ways to further ease the utility burden.
Our improved financial metrics haven't escaped the notice of the major credit rating services. Fitch Ratings in early November awarded EWEB's Electric System an "AA-," and Moody's Investor Service followed with an "Aa2" rating for the Water System.
These strong credit ratings will help reduce borrowing costs when we issue future bonds for capital investments like rebuilding the Carmen-Smith Hydroelectric Project and our planned water system improvements over the next decade.
Lower borrowing costs will help us mitigate the impact of future electric and water price increases.