One Water

Water is a limited resource that is constantly reused. 97% of water on Earth is saltwater, which is undrinkable. 2% of the Earth’s water is fresh water that is locked in glaciers and ice formations, and only 1% is available as drinkable fresh water. We all need clean water to live, and all life shares that water as a single, connected resource. 

Many of us remember that the natural water cycle includes the processes of evaporation, condensation, and precipitation. That’s only part of the story. Our public water systems also collect, use, clean, and release millions of gallons of water every day. 

 The drinking water systems provide potable water to residences and businesses, the wastewater system cleans used drinking water and returns it to the natural world, and the stormwater system collects rain and channels runoff to prevent flooding and protect natural waterways. Since we all share water, we all have a responsibility to do our part to keep our planet’s water clean and usable for future generations. Here is what your local water providers do to ensure you have the water you need and our region’s water sources are protected. 

Natural Water

The natural water cycle is the continuous process that creates fresh water and returns it to the oceans.

Our planet’s water continually moves through the air, on the surface, and underground, constantly being used by plants, animals, and people alike. This complex process is often broken down into 3 basic parts: 

(A) Water evaporates from oceans and other water sources.

(B) Water vapor condenses into clouds in the atmosphere. 

(C) Clouds precipitate and fall to the earth as rain, snow, and ice. 

Fresh water then flows back towards our oceans as melting snow, streams, rivers, and underground through infiltration into groundwater. People collect water from these sources to use for drinking, cooking, bathing, and many other purposes. That water then re-enters natural water bodies, becoming a part of the overall cycle again. 

Stormwater

The public stormwater system is maintained by the cities of Springfield and Eugene.

As urban areas develop, natural habitats like prairies and woodlands are built over, preventing rain from soaking into the ground. This causes several problems. One is that rain can no longer replenish groundwater supplies, which many community members depend upon for drinking water. In the urban environment, rain washes over hard surfaces such as streets, parking lots, and rooftops, carrying anything that is on these surfaces to our waterways – pet waste, motor oil, litter, etc. In fact, stormwater runoff from urban areas is one of the primary sources of water pollution locally and nationally. In addition, these hard, impermeable surfaces increase the amount and speed of stormwater runoff to our waterways, causing flooding and erosion.  

The stormwater system in the Eugene-Springfield area is made up of catch basins, pipes, and drainage channels. Newer parts of our urban area contain facilities such as rain gardens and swales that are designed to clean stormwater and restore the natural water cycle by allowing runoff to soak into the ground, as it would have prior to development. These facilities are important for replenishing our groundwater supply, preventing flooding, and keeping our waterways clean and healthy. Our stormwater system ultimately drains to the McKenzie or Willamette River.  

(A) The stormwater system collects runoff from hard surfaces like roofs, driveways, and roads.

(B) Runoff drains off of roofs and streets through networks of storm drains, open channels, underground pipes, swales, and more.

(C) Stormwater infrastructure releases runoff to streams and/or the Willamette or McKenzie rivers.

Drinking Water

Drinking water is supplied by utilities like Rainbow Water District and the Springfield Utility Board.

Drinking water is natural water that is treated to potable standards and distributed to customers by utilities like the Springfield Utility Board and Rainbow Water District. Pulled from groundwater, wells, reservoirs, or river sources, our community’s water is tested repeatedly to ensure that it is clean, healthy, and ready for use. 

(A) Drinking water utilities collect water from various natural sources. 

(B) Utilities purify natural water to drinking water standards. 

(C) Water is stored in reservoirs until needed.

(D) Utilities distribute water on demand to homes and businesses.

Wastewater

The wastewater system for Eugene and Springfield is maintained by the cities and the Metropolitan Wastewater Management Commission.

Wastewater is used drinking water that is collected from homes and businesses and transported to a treatment plant to be cleaned. The cities of Eugene and Springfield and Lane County partner together through an inter-government agreement to provide regional wastewater services for the entire metropolitan area. In 1977, they created the Metropolitan Wastewater Management Commission (MWMC) to unify these regional efforts. Today, the MWMC cleans wastewater and converts byproducts of the treatment process into sustainable resources. Once the wastewater is cleaned, it is returned to the Willamette River.

(A) Wastewater systems collect used water from indoor drains, (B) through privately owned pipes, (C) through City-owned wastewater collection systems, to the MWMC’s wastewater treatment plant.

(D) The regional wastewater treatment plant removes solids and disinfects water. It uses advanced, sustainable techniques to reclaim nutrients and energy.

(E) The treatment plant releases cleaned water to the Willamette River.