Protecting the water quality of the McKenzie River is essential to the mission of Eugene Water & Electric Board. The McKenzie River is the sole source of drinking water for the City of Eugene.
The Pure Water Partners (PWP) Program is an initiative designed to reward McKenzie landowners who protect high quality land along the river, assisting EWEB in protecting water quality and helping to avoid future water treatment costs.
Burn assessments and erosion control
If you own land along the McKenzie River that has been affected by the Holiday Farm Fire, we are offering free post-fire assessments to evaluate erosion concerns, hazard trees and soil conditions, and make recommendations for short and long-term erosion control measures and replanting.
This service is being offered through Pure Water Partners, an initiative designed to reward McKenzie landowners who protect high quality land along the river, assisting EWEB in protecting water quality and helping to avoid future water treatment costs.
To request a site assessment, please fill out the request form below. Once we are able to schedule site visits, McKenzie Watershed Council or Upper Willamette Soil & Water Conservation District will contact you.
Before we evaluate your property, you will need to sign an access agreement allowing us to be on your property. You will receive the access agreement via email and will sign and submit electronically.
Our first and immediate priority is to respond to landowners whose property has been damaged by the wildfire. However, if you have not been immediately impacted by the Holiday Farm Fire, but would like to be part of the Pure Water Partners program, you are also welcome to sign up for an assessment and we will set up a time to visit your property as soon as we are able.
What is Pure Water Partners?
Pure Water Partners provides annual payments, technical assistance and/or other incentives to participating landowners. It also helps to connect landowners who wish to engage in restoration projects on their land with technical and financial assistance.
Landowners with small residential lots may participate in the PWP Naturescaping Pathway. Landowners with more than an acre or two may be eligible for the PWP Protection or Restoration Pathway.
Program partners include the Eugene Water & Electric Board, Cascade Pacific Resource Conservation & Development, McKenzie Watershed Council, McKenzie River Trust, Metropolitan Wastewater Management Commission, Upper Willamette Soil & Water Conservation District, University of Oregon, and the US Forest Service.
PWP Informational Webinar
Our Pure Water Partners meeting scheduled for March 16, 2020 had to be canceled due to Covid-19; however, we held a live webinar to replace the meeting on May 6, 2020. We have posted the recorded webinar (click the image to start the video) for McKenzie landowners and others to learn more about the Pure Water Partner (PWP) program and how to participate. Please feel free to contact us with any questions.
PWP Program Boundary
If you own land in the McKenzie Watershed within the PWP program boundary, you are eligible to participate in the program. Please use the search button below to find out if your property falls within the boundary of the Pure Water Partners.
Naturescaping
Naturescaping is a method of landscaping which seeks to incorporate native plants, reduce water use, enhance habitat and protect water quality while producing a landscape that meets landowner needs, is easier to maintain and can save both time and money.
EWEB works with local partners to put on naturescaping workshops, which cover a variety of topics, including developing a functional and waterwise landscaping plan; planting the “right plant” in the “right place;” addressing invasive species; the importance of riparian buffers to water quality; reducing pesticide and fertilizer use; and enriching soil quality through composting.
For rural landowners who own small lots (approximately 2 acres or less) and are next to a river or stream, the PWP naturescaping pathway provides financial incentives and technical assistance to design and implement a naturescaping plan.
Protection/Restoration
The PWP program aims to protect existing healthy riparian areas along the mainstem McKenzie River and its tributaries through voluntary actions. Landowners who have land meeting this criteria are eligible for financial incentives through the Protection Pathway. Land that needs additional work or restoration may be entered in PWP through the Restoration Pathway.
McKenzie Watershed Conservation Fund
The McKenzie Watershed Conservation Fund will be used to provide financial support to the Pure Water Partners (PWP) program, with the goal of becoming a sustainable funding source. It will be comprised of various funding sources including:
- Eugene Water & Electric Board (EWEB)
- Metropolitan Wastewater Management Commission (MWMC)
- Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board (OWEB)
- U.S. Forest Service Stewardship Contracting
It is anticipated that these funding sources will vary over time in both the diversity of contributors as well as the amount of funding from each source.
Conservation Easements
Conservation easements are voluntary legal agreements that permanently limit certain uses of the land in order to protect unique conservation values. The McKenzie River Trust works to engage willing landowners in protecting habitat and natural landscapes in the McKenzie Watershed.
There are currently 15 conservation easements in the McKenzie Watershed, spanning over about 615 acres.
Landowners who have conservation easements along their streamside property are automatically considered Pure Water Partners and are eligible for program incentives.
Visit the McKenzie River Trust for more information on conservation easements.
Current Participation
This table shows the current number of landowners participating in the Pure Water Partners Program.