The McKenzie River is a 90-mile tributary of the Willamette River. It drains part of the eastern Cascade Range and flows westward into the southern end of the Willamette Valley.  Six large dams have been built on the McKenzie and its tributaries.

The McKenzie River flows south from Clear Lake, paralleling Highway 126  and goes over the Sahalie and Koosah waterfalls to Carmen Reservoir, a man-made lake. The river is then diverted into a 2-mile  tunnel to Smith Reservoir.   Lava from Belknap Crater buried a 3 mile stretch about 1,600 years ago leaving a dry river bed. The  river flows under the lava for three miles and re-surfaces at Tamolitch Pool at the base of Tamolitch Falls.  It then flows south into Trail Bridge Reservoir, where the Smith River enters.  The McKenzie continues south to Belknap Springs, where it turns west. It receives the South Fork Mckenzie River about three miles east of Blue River. 

After the South Fork confluence, the main stem of the McKenzie River continues west through a narrow valley in the mountains, receiving the Blue River.  The McKenzie valley widens as the river continues west, receiving the Mohawk River just north of Springfield. Emerging from the Cascade foothills, the McKenzie enters a broad floodplain. It joins the Willamette River from the east 5 miles north of Eugene.  

We are fortunate to have a high-quality drinking water source, the McKenzie River.  Water treatment begins with management of this great resource. Even with a high-quality drinking water source it still has to be filtered and disinfected  to deliver safe drinking water to your tap.  At the Hayden Bridge Water Filtration Plant they use a three step process to turn water from the McKenzie River into safe drinking water.

1) Before filtration

• Sometimes EWEB adds carbon to improve taste and odor.

• Raw water from the river can be cloudy due to soil particles floating in the water. They add alum to bind the soil particles into clumps. The clumps then fall to the bottom of the settling basin, and the water flows into the filters.

2) Filtration

• Following settling, the water travels through a multi-layered filtration process that removes any remaining clumps and small particles.

3) After filtration

• EWEB adds chlorine to maintain the purity of the water throughout the distribution system.

• They adjust pH with sodium hydroxide to reduce corrosion in the distribution system and in your home or school's plumbing system.

BYO(W)B- Bring Your Own Water Bottle! 

Water bottle refill stations help reduce water waste by encouraging the use of a reusable water bottle and not letting water run as we drink from a fountain.  Water bottle refill stations aka hydration stations, were retrofitted to existing drinking water fountains to allow users to fill their water bottles hands free. This will enable students and staff access to a sugar-free drink alternative that is germ-free, waste-free, and lead-free! Water fill stations and beautiful educational signage were installed in all 4J schools in 2020 to promote reuse practices and bring awareness to where the water that flows out of our faucets comes from.

(Below: 4J/EWEB Education Partnership Refill station project-in partnership with 4J facilities )