Hi, I’m Robyn with the EWEB Communications Team.  

Just over a year ago, my husband and I relocated from Salem and bought our first home in the lower McKenzie Valley. Buying a home in the forest, I knew there would be more threats to prepare for, including Mother Nature’s seasonal surprises. But even though I knew plenty about the inevitable risk of winter storms and related power outages, I wasn’t prepared for the back-to-back ice storms that hit last month. 

I hope you’ll enjoy the article below, which tells more about my experience both as an EWEB customer and employee during January’s destructive back-to-back ice storms. 

Please let us know what you think! Email publicaffairs@eweb.org 

By Robyn Smith, EWEB Communications

From the moment I saw the two-story contemporary house nestled on a small plot of land in the lower McKenzie River Valley, I instantly knew it would be our first home.  

It checked all the boxes, including an abundance of old-growth trees. Towering Douglas firs, oaks with limbs outstretched, densely dressed in large leaves for shade in the summertime, and maple trees that shifted color in the fall to a collection of orange and yellow shades.  

Just over a year ago, my husband and I bought the home. We were relocating from Salem to be closer to EWEB, where I was hired as a communications specialist a year prior. So, while we were moving because of work, the location we chose was about following our dreams. 

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. 

Over the summer, we prepared for the risk of wildfires. I cleared defensible space and created an evacuation plan. But even though I knew plenty about the inevitable risk of winter storms and related power outages, I wasn’t prepared for the back-to-back ice storms that hit last month. I thought, “It won’t happen this winter,” and “I’ll have another year to get things in order.” I wasn’t prepared to live for nine days without power. 

The truth for myself and many others in the community was we didn’t have another year to buy that generator or prepare our emergency kits. The storms hit, and we were stuck digging ourselves out of the devastation that followed. 

EWEB springs into action to restore power 

EWEB was prepared. Reacting to National Weather Service Alerts, EWEB stood up an emergency response system on Thursday, Jan. 11, before the storm arrived. Field crews and office staff prepared equipment, systems, and consumables. When the first storm hit on Jan. 13, EWEB crews were ready to begin making repairs to damaged equipment. 

But just as crews were gaining momentum fixing infrastructure after the first storm, they had to hunker down the first night due to unsafe conditions. They resumed restorations the following day and continued to make significant progress. But on Tuesday, Jan. 16, in the evening, a second ice storm rolled in, forcing crews to revert from fixing equipment and restoring power to making damaged equipment safe so it wouldn’t injure people. 

The second round of freezing rain slapped another layer of ice on the trees and power lines, and it was too much for the natural and man-made infrastructure to bear. Tree limbs snapped, tree trunks split down the middle, roots detached from the ground, power poles leaned, and wires fell. The thaw immediately afterward dealt another blow to electric infrastructure as tree limbs suspended by ice came crashing down. 

"This was as bad as I've seen it," said EWEB Line Crew Foreman Gary Lay, who has been with EWEB for 24 years. "I've seen different types of storms that are as devastating but in smaller areas. This covered a pretty large area." 

By the morning of Wednesday, Jan. 17, outages peaked, with over 24,000 EWEB customers out of power. The second storm had erased days of progress restoring power for customers, knocking EWEB back to square one. Read more...

For the average EWEB customer, how reliable was electric service in 2023? 

A. Power was on 88% of the time 

B. Power was on 92% of the time 

C. Power was on 99% of the time 

D. Power was on 100% of the time 
 

By Claire Wray, EWEB Communications

Just like most things in our world, EWEB’s water system is dependent on electricity. The pumps that pull water from the McKenzie River need power to function, as do all the treatment processes at our filtration plant. EWEB also relies on several electric-dependent pump stations to deliver water to customer taps.  

During the recent ice storm, EWEB lost power to some vital parts of our water system. What’s it like to maintain water operations when the power goes out?

“It was cold and stressful,” said Ray Leipold, Water Supply and Treatment Supervisor for the Hayden Bridge Water Filtration Plant. “Ironically, the plant’s heating systems are not connected to backup power.”

Click here to read how recent resiliency upgrades and quick thinking by staff helped us keep water flowing throughout the storm event.

Update on Hilyard Street pipeline project

Construction is underway on a 36-inch water transmission pipeline and 24-inch storm drain replacement on Hilyard Street between E. 33rd Ave. and Patterson Street. Local residents and businesses will have access during construction, but travelers should expect traffic delays and detours, including sidewalk and bike lane closures on the stretch of Hilyard between Dillard Road and East 33rd Avenue. 

Read more about the project here.

Check out a compilation of EWEB's news stories about ice storm response

The recent ice storm was a stressful time for many members of our community. That's why EWEB worked hard to keep everybody updated and informed during the recent ice storm. 

See all our ice storm updates here.

EWEB unveils Leaburg Decommissioning Action Plan

Decommissioning entails the removal of the Leaburg Dam and the restoration of the McKenzie River to a free-flowing state within the Project area. The objective of the action plan is to position EWEB to begin on-the-ground decommissioning activities by 2032. 

Read more here. 

The Eugene Water & Electric Board is owned by our customers, who elect a five-member Board of Commissioners. 

Tune in to the next public meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 6 to hear an ice storm recovery report from General Manager Frank Lawson.  

Other topics on the Board of Commissioners’ agenda include: 

• Subjects, issues, and opportunities for EWEB to partner with City of Eugene 

• Issuance and sale of Electric Utility Bonds for infrastructure projects

You can view the full agenda for the February 6 meeting here. You can also learn how to watch online, attend in person and provide public comments.

Backup Power Program
We want to help our customers increase their safety and resilience during a power outage.  

EWEB’s Backup Power Program assists customers with the purchase and installation of a backup power system such as a generator or battery storage system. This system can safely power critical components in a home or small business during an emergency.  

Learn more about the program and qualifications.  

Generators and other backup power options can provide peace of mind in a power outage, but safety should always be your top priority. Read more about generator safety here.  

Electric Service Upgrade Program
Did you experience damage to your weatherhead or other customer-owned equipment during the ice storm?  EWEB has a program to help you finance the repairs. 

Our Electric Service Upgrade Assistance Program can help customers who need to repair damaged equipment. We have zero-interest loans for residential and commercial customers available, as well as grants for low-income customers. Learn more at eweb.org/electric-repairs. 

When you invest in improvements to weatherize your home, you aren't just saving yourself money on your utility bill, but also preparing your home for possible power outages. Installing insulation, sealing leaks, and upgrading windows all help maintain a stable temperature inside your home year-round, keeping your warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer. 

EWEB offers rebates and zero-interest loans for insulation, air sealing, and high-performance windows, with special incentives for multi-family units and income-qualifying customers. Find out more.

Winter isn’t over yet and it’s important to be ready for the chance of another storm. Being prepared means having enough food, water, and other supplies to last for at least 72 hours, and longer if possible. The Oregon Office of Emergency Management encourages residents to be prepared to be on their own for a minimum of two weeks. This will help emergency responders focus limited resources on injured and other vulnerable populations immediately following a disaster.

Check out eweb.org/EmergencyPrep for tips and checklists to help you prepare for any type of disaster. 

To help you and your family prepare for an emergency, we invite you to participate in EWEB’s Pledge to Prepare program.  

Pledge to Prepare was introduced in 2019, and since then over 3,000 Eugene residents have taken the pledge.  

Each month participants receive a monthly email with easy, step-by-step recommendations that help you get two-weeks ready. Participants send in monthly photos to be entered into a monthly raffle for emergency preparedness gear.  

Here is what some previous participants have said about the program: 

“Pledge to Prepare makes the daunting task of preparing for an emergency much more reasonable. Up until now, I had done nothing and often felt worried about it.” (EWEB Customer, Matt B) 

“Although we never lost power in the recent storm, we were able to lend our new portable generator to two different friends. If this recent storm didn’t inspire people to do emergency preparedness, I don’t know what will!” (EWEB Customer Becky S) 

A healthy workplace, competitive pay and comprehensive benefits make EWEB a great place to work. We're looking for talented people to bring new ideas and fresh thinking to our team.  

Featured job posting: Limited Duration Communications Specialist I  

We are a team of six (you would be the seventh) ambitious, committed professionals who are passionate about energy, water, and public service. We work both independently and collaboratively on a wide variety of communication, public relations, and marketing initiatives.

Our mix of generalist and specialist skills makes us highly productive and adept at tackling the challenges of informing, educating, and engaging our community on highly complex issues related to the electric grid, drinking water quality, climate change, watershed protection, major infrastructure projects, smart home technology, emergency preparedness, and more. 

Check out this and other job openings. 

EWEB in the media

Deep dives for fellow utility nerds :-)

What the anniversary of the Great Cascadia earthquake might tell us about 'The Big One' 
When the Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake strikes, researchers estimate that it could take weeks or even years to restore basic services such as water and electricity, depending on the location and the severity of the earthquake. What will that earthquake look like? And how do we know it’s coming? 

Read more at The Register Guard.  
 

Gasoline is cheap right now — but charging an EV is still cheaper 
Even though gas prices have dropped in the last year, it’s still cheaper to charge and electric vehicle than it is to fill it up with gas. In Oregon, where we have low-cost electricity, gas would have to drop to $1.13 per gallon for gassing up to be cheaper than plugging in. 

Find the details at Canary Media. 

Severe weather can have long-term impact on solar generation: NREL
Each high wind, heavy hail or other severe weather event decreases the efficiency of solar panels by about 1%, according to a new study. That may not seem like much, but it adds up over time, and the study authors say the industry’s current construction standards may not be adequate

Learn more at Utility Dive. 

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