Eugene's 3 Water Systems

Most communities have several main water systems. Communities provide clean drinking water for their citizens and also clean and purify wastewater from homes and businesses. As our communities become larger and more land is used for homes and business areas, there also must be a place for water to go that falls as precipitation aka rain. 

In Eugene we have three water systems: 

Drinking water system: Eugene gets its drinking water from the McKenzie River, which is fed by melting snow and springs from the mountains. River water is pumped to a filtration plant where it is purified. Chlorine is added to kill bacteria and inactivate viruses. The water is then put through an activated charcoal filter before it is pumped to homes, schools and businesses. Many communities do not have rivers as a source of drinking water and use above-ground reservoirs or underground wells to provide water to citizens. 

Wastewater system: The water that we use for bathing, cleaning, cooking and other things is treated at the Eugene/ Springfield Wastewater Treatment Plant. Sanitary sewers carry the water to the plant where it is cleaned. It is then disinfected and is released into the Willamette River. In your house, anything that you put down the sink, toilet, or bathtub goes to the treatment plant to be cleaned. 

Stormwater system: Our modified landscape now includes roads, parking lots, and buildings that have replaced natural vegetation. Any surface that prevents rainwater and snowmelt from being absorbed into the ground is called an “impervious surface.” Rainwater or snowmelt that runs across these impervious surfaces is called “stormwater.” As stormwater runs off these surfaces, it picks up oil, gasoline, dirt, litter, debris from construction sites, and excess fertilizers and pesticides from our homes. This runoff can also include animal waste or waste from leaky septic systems. Stormwater flows down storm drains or into open ditches that lead to local waterways. Stormwater is not treated, filtered, or cleaned. Pollutants and debris carried with stormwater damage our lakes, rivers and streams. As a result fish can die, too much algae can grow, and water can become unsafe for drinking or recreation. 

When we look at a rural landscape and compare it to a city landscape, the differences are obvious. Rural landscapes consist of open fields, farmland, and forests. People who live in rural areas are more spread out on larger properties than city inhabitants. There are fewer houses and streets, no office buildings, shopping malls or huge parking lots. Since there are fewer impervious surfaces and no storm drains to carry stormwater away, most stormwater soaks into the ground. However, stormwater runoff is still a problem in rural areas. Many rural residents have farms and grow crops or raise livestock. 

How do people in rural areas get drinking water? 

Most people in rural areas get their drinking water from underground wells that are drilled on their property. Unlike city drinking water, water from underground wells does not go through a purification process at a filtration plant. Because the water is not treated before it goes into the home, the location of the well is very important. If the well is placed too close to livestock pens, it can become contaminated with animal waste that seeps into the ground when it rains. The well should also not be too close to farm fields where fertilizers and pesticides are applied to crops. These pollutants are also carried into the ground with the rainwater and can contaminate wells. When pollutants are carried into the soil with rainfall it is considered groundwater pollution. To make sure the water is safe to drink, it is a good idea to have the water tested on a regular basis. 

Since farms are not hooked up to the public sewer systems, where does the wastewater go? 

Wastewater goes from the house into a septic tank. Most of the liquids from septic tanks leach from the tank to the ground. The solids must be pumped out when the tank becomes too full. Septic tanks can also contribute to groundwater pollution. It is important to make sure the septic tank is not close to the drinking water well, a pond or creek because the liquids from the tank could pollute surrounding water sources. 

What happens to stormwater in places where there are no storm drains? 

Since there are fewer impervious surfaces in rural areas, most stormwater soaks into the ground. However, some stormwater runs off roads, fields, and livestock pens into ditches that lead to nearby creeks, ponds and rivers. What happens when water from a big rain storm flows through a livestock pen and into a nearby creek or heavy rains fall on field that has just been fertilized?