EWEB Home > For your home > Water quality > Watershed protection

Watershed protection and monitoring
The McKenzie River is the sole source of drinking water for more than 200,000 people in the Eugene metropolitan area. Recognizing the importance of this valuable resource, the Eugene Water & Electric Board in 2000 developed a drinking water source protection plan, which includes a risk assessment of all potential threats to our drinking water.

As part of this effort , EWEB launched an ambitious program to protect the McKenzie and the high water quality EWEB customers have come to appreciate. The overall concept of source protection is to have the ability to measure the balance between watershed health and human use over time and implement actions that maintain a healthy balance for production of exceptional water quality. The utility now has a full-time source protection coordinator, who has instituted a number of monitoring and pro-active programs. These efforts include:

Water quality monitoring: By continually testing water in the McKenzie and its tributaries, EWEB can gauge what, if any, contaminants might be increasing due to urban development and runoff, hazardous materials spills, and agricultural and forestry activities.

Emergency and disaster preparedness: EWEB's source protection coordinator, Karl Morgenstern, developed a first-ever emergency response plan for the McKenzie watershed. This includes a sophisticated mapping and web-based notification and response system to help agencies quickly respond during an emergency.

Funding assistance: Karl Morgenstern also has been instrumental in securing funding and assistance for 27 agencies and "first responders" to purchase equipment needed should an emergency occur.

Mapping: EWEB has identified all known or potential hazards in the watershed. Link to this mapping site below.

Outreach: EWEB is reaching out to the agriculture and forestry communities with voluntary programs aimed at reducing potential impacts to the McKenzie's water quality. This includes assisting farmers in obtaining federal funding for voluntary conservation and resource-protection.

Education: EWEB provides grants to the Springfield and McKenzie school districts to help kids better understand the relationship between a healthy watershed and water quality.

Partnerships: EWEB currently is working closely and developing long-term partnerships with more than 30 agencies, local high schools, the University of Oregon, Oregon State University, landowners and others.

Water quality mapping and data
A special McKenzie Water Quality website provides partner agencies, researchers, watershed stakeholders, and the interested public with data and information collected by EWEB on the health of the McKenzie River.

Watershed protection plan
Read EWEB's Drinking Water Source Protection Plan.

McKenzie watershed emergency response
EWEB has developed an emergency response system for the McKenzie River watershed.

Source protection coordinator
Meet Karl Morgenstern and learn more about what he does to protect your drinking water.

Nonpoint source pollution project
EWEB is currently engaged in an effort to collect information about non-point sources of pollution in the watershed. EWEB is engaging landowners in the watershed to help with this voluntary program. Read a fact sheet about the program.

McKenzie River septic system assistance project
EWEB is inviting homeowners living in identified areas in the McKenzie River watershed to participate in a project that will include water quality monitoring, education and free septic system inspections.

Agricultural chemical removal project
EWEB and other agencies launched an innovative program to collect unwanted or obsolete chemicals being stored on farms and other agricultural property in the McKenzie River and Middle Fork Willamette watersheds.