Related News
Related News
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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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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 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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EWEB to focus riverfront property sale negotiations with City of Eugene
January 18, 2023 • Aaron Orlowski, EWEB Communications
After evaluating several proposals and opportunities, EWEB is focusing its negotiations to sell the former riverfront headquarters property to the City of Eugene. The exact terms and details of the deal will be negotiated during the next few weeks.
“We’re pleased to pursue negotiations with the City of Eugene on this property that is vitally important to the whole community,” said EWEB General Manager Frank Lawson. “Having the City as a potential buyer provides the opportunity to achieve a City Hall and consolidate city services with significant savings to the community. Based on the City’s plan, only minor changes to the building are required, making the City’s vision inspiring, practical, and achievable.”
This step toward a final sale of the 4.4-acre property arrives after years of outreach and a thorough public process to sell both EWEB’s headquarters buildings and the rest of EWEB’s former riverfront property.
In 2007, EWEB partnered with the city and other community stakeholders on the Riverfront Master Plan that was completed in 2010. The plan charted out improvements for an area that once held storage yards and other equipment facilities and is now home to the riverfront park and will feature many homes and businesses. In 2018, EWEB declared the former headquarters property surplus.
Then, last spring, EWEB developed and issued a rigorous request for proposals (RFP) process that drew significant public attention to the site. After the RFP process didn’t produce a buyer, EWEB’s five-member elected Board of Commisisioners granted authority to the general manager to negotiate and execute the sale of the property.
All the proposals submitted by community organizations, developers and other entities offered different types of community value. The City’s proposal would offer the smoothest transition and the greatest community value.
Partnering with the City for the final piece of this riverfront property offers a unique opportunity to make possible a City Hall located on the shores of the Willamette River and adjacent to the burgeoning riverfront neighborhood. The plan also allows the City to consolidate services at a significant savings to the community.
Under the City’s proposal, EWEB will be able to maintain a shared customer-facing space for paying utility bills and similar needs.