Oregon’s Eugene Water and Electric Board has been awarded $1 million for wildfire resiliency projects in partnership with the Oregon Department of Forestry, McKenzie Fire and Rescue, and Eugene Springfield Fire, EWEB said on Dec. 17.
The United States Forest Service is the agency administrating the funds to EWEB.
In Spring 2024, Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden secured major investments to strengthen forest health and wildfire resiliency, protect public lands and the environment, secure important programs for Tribes, and support critical projects for communities across the state, EWEB noted.
The funds came through the 2024 minibus funding package and totaled $42 million. EWEB was one of 28 Oregon community-initiated projects awarded funding thanks to Merkley and Wyden, it said.
Now that the funding has been distributed, EWEB and its partner agencies will work collaboratively to reduce wildfire fuels and boost resiliency in the lower McKenzie Valley and Eugene South Hills:
- $350,000 to Eugene Water & Electric Board: EWEB will use funds to monitor and manage hazard trees near power lines in high-risk areas. EWEB will also work in consultation with Eugene Springfield Fire and ODF to identify priority areas for fuels reduction in the Eugene South Hills.
- $325,000 to Oregon Department of Forestry: ODF will use funds to assist with fuels reduction projects such as land clearing and fuel breaks.
- $325,000 to McKenzie Fire and Rescue: MFR will use funds for Firewise-type assessments and improving accessibility for first responders. Firewise assessments guide landowners on effective actions to mitigate wildfire risks around their home and property.
“This funding will directly benefit over 150 private landowners and indirectly benefit surrounding landowners. Overall, the mitigation projects on electric infrastructure assets will support a resilient electric grid for all customers,” said EWEB Senior Project Manager Gina Dally.
Funding projects to reduce wildfire fuels will increase public safety by creating more defensible space and fuel breaks, educating landowners about wildfire mitigation practices and improving accessibility for first responders.
EWEB plans to manage over 300 miles of electrical lines within the EWEB service area by utilizing new technology for vegetation management practices near power lines.
EWEB incorporated this new satellite-based forestry analytics software in 2024 to aid crews in identifying and removing hazardous vegetation growth along EWEB transmission and distribution lines.
“By partnering with local fire agency professionals to establish a successful fuels reduction project on a landscape level, we are effectively supporting the community in these higher risk locations,” Dally said. “The success of this project will create other avenues of funding opportunities for EWEB and local fire agencies to continue to mitigate wildfire hazards, enhance public safety, and protect the McKenzie watershed to preserve water quality.”
