Creating a Resilient and Sustainable Water Supply for Eugene/Springfield
Time: Noon to 1:15 pm
Venue: WOW Hall
291 W 8th
Eugene, Oregon
97401
We will meet at the WOW Hall, 291 W 8th. Learn more: https://wowhall.org/about-us/. Walk, ride a bike or take the bus. You may park on the street or in the parking lot of FOOD for Lane County's Dining Room, across 8th from the WOW Hall. A freewill donation acknowledging the Dining Room's generosity may be made at the meeting.
Lunch will be available for $15.
Topic:
The Eugene Water & Electric Board (EWEB) is Oregon’s largest customer-owned utility. Founded in 1911, EWEB provides water and electricity to approximately 96,000 customers in the Eugene-Springfield area. EWEB’s service territory covers 236 square miles with a population of more than 200,000 people. Facing aging infrastructure and the threat of a Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake, EWEB is working to modernize its water system. Several critical projects have been completed, and the utility is now working on the most impactful project to date: establishing a new water treatment plant on the Willamette River. Currently, EWEB relies on the McKenzie River as the sole source of drinking water for the city – making Eugene the largest city in the Pacific Northwest with only one source of water. The new plant, which has been planned for decades, will increase the region’s resilience to natural or human caused disasters that could compromise our water supply.
The Metropolitan Waste Water Management Commission (MWMC) oversees the regional wastewater treatment facilities of Eugene/Springfield. MWMC recovers wastewater resources including biosolids fertilizer, renewable natural gas, recycled water and a biocycle farm operation that generates sustainable wood fiber. At this forum you will hear about a successful effort to secure $6 million dollars of funding to construct the first-ever Class A recycled water facilities for drought and water resource management. It will also demonstrate industrial and greenspace benefits to the community.
Speakers
Title: Chief Operations Officer
Organization: EWEB
Website: https://www.eweb.org/
Biography:
Biographies are provided by the panelists, then proofread and edited for length
Karen Kelley is EWEB’s Chief Operations Officer (COO) and has been with the utility since 2019. As COO, Kelley ensures the delivery of safe, reliable services to the community, which includes managing complex infrastructure projects, directing operational and engineering teams, and driving initiatives to enhance system resiliency and sustainability. Before EWEB, Kelley held leadership roles with Linn County, the City of Albany and the Oregon Health Authority where she worked to safeguard public drinking water supplies and maintain compliance with state and federal standards. Her work is guided by a sense of purpose and responsibility, underscoring the critical role that public utilities play in ensuring the safety, health, and wellbeing of the community they serve. Kelley holds a BS in Environmental Health and Safety from Oregon State University.
Title: Deputy Director
Organization: Springfield Environmental Services/Metropolitan Wastewater Services
Website: https://mwmcpartners.org/
Biography:
Biographies are provided by the panelists, then proofread and edited for length
Todd Miller is Deputy Director of the City of Springfield’s Environmental Services and the Metropolitan Wastewater Management Commission. Todd has worked for Springfield’s Environmental Services for the past 17 years and has been working in environmental management and water resources for 35 years. Todd has led the regional wastewater program’s planning and policy support, including development of recycled water use. Todd has degrees in Biology-Geology and Environmental Studies and calls himself a political ecohydrogeomorphologist – that is, how our society and policies are rooted in the landscape we live in, from the underlying geology, the climate and water resources, and the ecosystems supported by them.
