Related News
Related News
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EWEB Communications Win National Recognition for Public Power Excellence
We’re excited to share that EWEB has again been honored with two Excellence in Public Power Communications Awards from the American Public Power Association (APPA), earning top honors in both the Web/Social Media and Video categories.
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EWEB Launches 2024 Residential Customer Survey
EWEB has again partnered with professional research firm, GreatBlue Research, Inc., to conduct a survey of residential customers, starting October 30, 2024.
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EWEB Holds First Annual Truck-or-Treat Event at Roosevelt Operations Center
Hundreds of customer and crew families came together under sunny skies to gather candy and marvel at our fantastic fleet.
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Imagine a Day Without Water 2024
Learn how you can prepare for an extended water outage.
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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."
Michele Victor lost her home, septic system, and two cats to the fire. But thanks to EWEB's Septic System Repair and Replacement Grants, she is one step closer to rebuilding her home.
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EWEB Partners with the City and YMCA to Celebrate New Amazon Park Emergency Water Station Site
Hundreds of attendees practiced filling up water containers at Saturday's demonstration event.
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Salmon Watch program introduces next generation to their natural heritage on McKenzie River
It takes a village of watershed councils, teachers, and volunteers to bring hundreds of students to the water's edge to participate in their natural heritage.
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Source Water Protection Week: Our Commitment to Clean Water
EWEB celebrates our community's commitment to protecting the McKenzie River, the source of Eugene's drinking water.
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EWEB Communications Team Wins Top Awards at Northwest Innovations in Communications Conference
Competing against public utilities from across the region, EWEB brought home two significant awards in recognition of our work to engage and inform the community.
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September is National Preparedness Month: 3 tips to prepare your home & family
Let's "Be Ready" together!
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EWEB invests in preparedness for severe weather and natural disasters
Just as you take steps to safeguard your home and family, EWEB is investing in equipment and processes to ensure our community’s electric and water systems remain reliable in the face of adversity.
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EWEB customers achieve remarkable results in environmental stewardship through EWEB's Lead Green programs
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
The Eugene Water & Electric Board, Springfield Utility Board and Rainbow Water District are teaming up for the 9th year to provide fairgoers with clean, cold free water.
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Community members can test out climate-friendly e-bikes at E-Bike Expo on Saturday
EWEB encourages Eugene residents to ride into summer on clean, accessible e-bikes, with a $300 e-bike rebate.
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Spill Drill 2024: EWEB & partners practice containing hazardous materials spills on McKenzie River
October 18, 2024 • Adam Spencer, Communications Specialist
EWEB led emergency responders in our annual “spill drill” on the McKenzie River this week at Finn Rock Boat Landing.
To conduct the drill, dozens of watershed scientists, firefighters, hazardous materials specialists, water operators and others waded into the river to set up a series of fast-water containment booms. The floating booms direct surface contaminants like oil into a skimmer that would remove them 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 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.
EWEB Environmental Specialist David Donahue coordinates the drill.
"We've got a lot of wonderful partners that we rely on, and a lot of great people that come to participate in this with the goal of trying to protect the McKenzie River," Donahue said. "It's obviously a very valuable resource for us and our community as it is our sole source of drinking water. But it's also important for recreation, for wildlife and plenty of other downstream drinking water providers. So it's just a great, experience to be with so many folks who are out here on a not so great weather day, practicing to protect this critical and valuable resource."
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.
Finn Rock Landing is an ideal location to capture contaminants in the case of an actual spill in the upper watershed. The Landing provides access to the McKenzie River far upstream of EWEB’s Hayden Bridge Water Treatment Facility and downstream of the town of Blue River. McKenzie River Trust recently upgraded the Landing, improving the boat ramp and amplifying the parking lot – making the site a reliable point of deployment in the MWERS strategy playbook.