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The quality of the McKenzie River’s water remained excellent in 2024, according to the Eugene Water & Electric Board’s (EWEB) 2024 McKenzie Watershed Report (click to download PDF), which was published this month.

But water quality on the river suffers during short periods following heavy rains that wash contaminants off urban and suburban streets into the river, the report said.

“We have abundant, clean water, and one of the healthiest river ecosystems for native salmon in the Willamette Basin,” said EWEB Water Resource & Quality Assurance Supervisor Susan Fricke. “As in previous years, we saw that several storms brought the biggest impacts on the McKenzie and its tributaries. So, we’ll continue to monitor, identify opportunities to engage our upriver neighbors, and act in collaboration with our partners to keep water quality high.”

The report contains the results of EWEB’s water quality testing from dozens of locations throughout the watershed. By using continuous monitoring devices and conducting routine sampling, the team collects data on baseline water quality conditions throughout the watershed. This year-round sampling effort shows that the water quality of the McKenzie River is consistently outstanding, with cold, clear water and very low levels of impurities.

Along with observing water quality trends, the report describes EWEB’s comprehensive strategies to identify and reduce threats to water quality. The Drinking Water Source Protection Program helps inform EWEB’s water treatment and hydropower generation efforts, as well as promoting public awareness and stewardship for the watershed. 

The report highlights that EWEB has brought in $14.6 million dollars of secured grant funding for watershed restoration following the 2020 Holiday Farm Fire for uses including fuels reduction, replanting, large floodplain restoration projects, and strategic acquisitions. Additionally, EWEB has been able to leverage another $9.8 million in grant funding awarded to EWEB partners to meet the goals of McKenzie watershed restoration. 

EWEB also has distributed over $2 million to help homeowners repair or replace their septic systems to protect against bacterial contamination, thanks to grant funds from the American Recovery Plan Act. EWEB still has another $300,000 to allocate to eligible property owners impacted by the Holiday Farm Fire by September 2026. Visit eweb.org/septic for more information.

During the 2024 wildfire season, the Willamette Complex Fires North burned over 5,400 acres of the McKenzie watershed, most of which was contained to the Blue River watershed.

Intense storms flush contaminants in post-fire, urban areas

The McKenzie River provides some of the best drinking water in the world for 200,000 people in the Eugene area thanks to its unique geology, temperate Pacific Northwest climate, and relatively low population density.

In the High Cascades, the water that flows in the river passes through a volcanic landscape that filters sediments and keeps snowmelt nearly ice-cold underground before the McKenzie emerges at Clear Lake.

Storms consistently impact water quality. Heavy rains carry materials into the waterways from across the landscape – whether running over forest floors or pavement in urban areas.

As expected, several storms throughout 2024 produced greater-than-usual water quality impacts for the McKenzie watershed. EWEB identified the two principal causes of the temporary spikes in contamination events are the impacts of the large wildfires of the past several years and increasing levels of pollution from suburban areas.

“We’re seeing what we expected following the Holiday Farm Fire, in terms of water quality impacts,” Fricke said. “Typically, three to five years after a fire that burns whole stands of trees, the death of root structures of the burned trees peaks. This leads to landslides that can foul up waterways. Thankfully, we’ve actually had less of a water quality impact from erosion than we originally anticipated.”

EWEB will continue to work with partners in Springfield, including the City of Springfield, Springfield Utility Board, and the collaborative Urban Waters Partnership, to address the water quality issues from urban runoff detected in stormwater channels in East Springfield.

Partnering to improve long-term Resiliency

EWEB works collaboratively with local, state and federal agencies, university researchers, and non-profit organizations to protect the McKenzie for generations to come.

EWEB leverages customer water rates to obtain grants and leverage resources from partners to manage the watershed as part of Eugene’s drinking water infrastructure. EWEB and partner programs fund incentives to reduce human impacts, help the watershed recover from wildfires and restore the river’s natural resiliency.

For example, EWEB is a core member of the Pure Water Partners (PWP) Program, a collaboration of the McKenzie Watershed Council, McKenzie River Trust, Upper Willamette Soil & Water Conservation District, and other local organizations that work with landowners to protect and restore lands along the river. PWP also provides technical assistance around naturescaping and Firewise landscaping practices to increase native plants, reduce chemical use, protect water quality and increase resilience to wildfire.

In 2024, EWEB continued to develop floodplain enhancement projects with partners to restore wetlands, creating space to slow floodwaters and allow contaminants to drop out rather than flow downstream.

“The large-scale restoration work to reset floodplains is incredible. Thanks to our partnerships with public and private landowners, we can improve watershed health for our community, the fish, and the river,” Fricke said.