As soon as it was safe to enter the fire-impacted area, EWEB, McKenzie Watershed Council, McKenzie River Trust, the Upper Willamette Soil & Water Conservation District and other members of Pure Water Partners banded together to work with landowners to keep toxic ash and other hazardous materials from entering the river.
There were a number of different efforts undertaken by the Pure Water Partners:
Drinking Water Protection
As fire containment efforts accelerated in the weeks after the fire started, the Eugene Water & Electric Board launched a series of actions to stabilize the charred banks of the McKenzie River. Read the full update on this work at www.eweb.org/about-us/news/eweb-committed-to-protecting-drinking-water.
Floodplain Ecosystem Restoration
The McKenzie River Trust and the Willamette National Forest recently completed Phase One of the Finn Rock Reach floodplain restoration project. Read the full update on this work at www.eweb.org/about-us/news/mrt-usfs-wrap-construction-at-finn-rock-reach.
Land Management in Fire-Prone Areas
In a recent publication for The Conversation, UO Professor of Landscape Architecture (A Pure Water Partner member) Bart Johnson writes about his study to explore and test how forest management and rural development could reduce or amplify wildfire risks in coming decades. Read more at theconversation.com/3-wildfire-lessons-for-forest-towns-as-dixie-fire-destroys-historic-greenville-california-165718.