Related News
Related News
-
A day in the life: Monitoring water quality throughout the McKenzie Watershed
Follow Senior Environmental Specialist David Donahue as he collects water quality samples from throughout the watershed as part of EWEB's early warning system for threats to Eugene's drinking water.
Find Out More -
EWEB Partners with Eugene School District 4J to Celebrate New Kennedy Middle School Emergency Water Station Site
Hundreds of attendees practiced filling up water containers at Saturday's demonstration event.
Find Out More -
Electric Projects underway in North & South Eugene
Underground lines and disaster-resilient power poles are part of EWEB’s infrastructure upgrade near Eugene’s largest natural resource area.
Find Out More -
Quartz Creek: Setting the Stage for Floodplain Restoration
The project resets the floodplain along 1.8 miles of a formerly channelized creek to improve water quality, fish habitat and natural disaster resiliency.
Find Out More -
Pure Water Partners: 5 Years of Regeneration
As EWEB and the Pure Water Partners observe the fifth anniversary of the Holiday Farm Fire, we celebrate major milestones in the watershed's recovery and check back in with PWP landowners who still have a lot of work ahead as they continue to rebuild their lives.
Find Out More -
Join the Pledge to Prepare
When you think about getting ready for an emergency, you probably have questions. You aren't alone. Preparing for emergencies can be overwhelming, which is why EWEB has put together a 12-month program to help you and your family get two weeks ready.
Find Out More -
You can’t predict the next disaster, but you can prepare
The earthquake lasted less than a minute. But now the power’s out. The tap runs dry. Cell service is spotty. Would you be ready?
Find Out More -
EWEB Celebrates Operators on the 75th Anniversary of the Hayden Bridge Filtration Plant
Learn more about the Water Treatment Plant Operators who have kept the Hayden Bridge Filtration Plant running for the last 75 years.
Find Out More -
NASA partners with EWEB to assess wildfire impacts to drinking water
NASA's Earth Information Center shares a new video detailing how EWEB's Drinking Water Source Protection work is advising new research tools
Find Out More -
EWEB prepares for wildfire season with risk mitigation measures
EWEB is building a more resilient electric system to weather various types of disasters, from wildfire to winter storms.
Find Out More -
Sustainability Snapshot - Homes for Good May 2025
Our first Sustainability Snapshop highlights a project where EWEB teamed up with longtime partner, Homes for Good, to deliver ductless heat pumps to income-eligible apartment rentals.
Find Out More -
EWEB environmental specialist wins prestigious awards for publication
Article recounting EWEB’s efforts to protect the McKenzie River after Holiday Farm Fire earns national recognition
Find Out More -
Last Call for EWEB/Lane County Septic Grants
Holiday Farm Fire recovery program now eligible for businesses, residential property owners who purchased post-fire, to cover inspection costs and new construction
Find Out More -
EWEB Pilots New Line Safety Program for 4th graders.
This year, EWEB is ramping up power line safety for children, specifically 4th graders.
Find Out More -
Habitat Restoration Underway on McKenzie River
Partners at EWEB, McKenzie River Trust, the McKenzie Watershed Council, and the U.S. Forest Service broke ground on a major floodplain restoration project in Quartz Creek.
Find Out More - Show More
Second Source Work Underway
January 20, 2017
Everyday, Eugene residents turn on their taps to draw clean and delicious drinking water. Water is indispensable at homes, vital to public safety and crucial to our local economy.
EWEB relies on the beautiful McKenzie River as its sole source of water, and the Hayden Bridge Filtration Plant to deliver safe drinking water nearly 200,000 area residents. But there are just a few days of water available if a natural or human-caused disaster disrupts our supply or filtration plant operations. That is why work is underway to tap into a secondary source of water and build a small, modern filtration plant on the Upper Willamette River.
Commitment to quality
The new intake site, purchased in 2015, is located below the confluence of the Coast and Middle Forks of the Willamette River. Just upstream, thousands of acres of land are managed for natural habitat and recreation by The Nature Conservancy, Friends of Buford Park and others. Completed and ongoing restoration work has direct benefits to water quality, making great water even better for all that depend on a healthy river.
The new filtration plant, which will be located west of the intake site, will use modern technology to ensure that drinking water quality is the same, or better, than what is delivered from Hayden Bridge today. EWEB will continue to rely on the McKenzie River as its primary source of drinking water due to the larger plant capacity and available water rights. However, building a second, smaller treatment plant on the Willamette provides for resilient operations should a natural or other disaster strike our community.
Preliminary design work is underway on the filtration plant, and that work will continue through 2018. EWEB plans to begin construction of the new facility in 2019, and have it operational in 2022.
Ensuring an affordable and reliable water supply
A diverse water supply is the biggest step in improving water system reliability in case of an emergency. Seismic upgrades to critical facilities like reservoirs and pump stations are also planned. EWEB a few years ago created a special reserve fund to help pay for this community investment. Careful financial planning to balance water reliability projects and affordability is a priority so that over time, we are better prepared for the unexpected, and resilient to challenges that come our way.