Today is Imagine a Day Without Water - Take Action to Prepare for a Water Outage
Today is Imagine a Day Without Water, a prospect that has become a tragic reality for many on the east coast.
The devastation brought by Hurricanes Helene and Milton is a sobering reminder of the fragility of our nation’s water systems. As of October 15, 100,000 residents in Western North Carolina were still without running water, more than two weeks after Helene. We are sending our deepest condolences and strength to those affected.
Here in the Pacific Northwest, our “big one” is not a hurricane, but rather an earthquake, that experts predict could bring down critical elements of our water system.
EWEB has been preparing for this threat by establishing seven Emergency Water Stations across the city and re-building some of our largest and most critical water facilities to meet modern seismic code. There are also things that you can do to prepare for an extended water outage:
- Store two weeks’ worth of water in your home. This means one gallon of water per person per day, plus more for pets. You can buy multi-gallon containers or get creative by re-using food and beverage-grade containers to store smaller quantities. Replace stored water every six months and keep unscented household bleach on hand to sanitize water, if needed. Watch this video to get ideas on how to store water in tight spaces.
- Know the address of your nearest Emergency Water Station. Because it is not feasible for EWEB to simultaneously update all our water infrastructure to withstand an earthquake, we have come up with a temporary safety net to provide emergency water to residents if a large earthquake damages the pipelines or other infrastructure that delivers water to homes.
There are seven Emergency Water Stations geographically distributed across Eugene. These stations include a well, constructed to the highest seismic standards, to pull water from deep underground for use in an emergency. If water is not available from your tap and you have exhausted your emergency supply at home, you can visit an emergency water station to fill up. Residents must bring their own containers to fill and disinfect water before use. Read about Emergency Water Stations and locate the one nearest your home. - Learn more about EWEB’s Water Resiliency Projects. EWEB is leveraging customer dollars to strategically rebuild our most critical water facilities to seismic code. Our goal is to update large infrastructure to limit the severity and duration of water outages in the wake of a large earthquake or other natural disaster. Check out this webpage to learn about how your water rates are being put to work to harden the system.
As demonstrated by this year’s late season hurricanes, it is impossible to predict when a natural disaster will strike, but together we can prepare. We hope you will consider this year’s Imagine a Day Without Water a call to action to build your emergency kit and locate your Emergency Water Station so you can feel ready for whatever comes.
