OREGON: AGRICULTURE PROTECTION
STRATEGIES IN THE MCKENZIE RIVER
WATERSHED
The Eugene Water & Electric Board's Drinking
Water Source Protection Strategies for
Agriculture
Background
Drinking Water Source Protection
The Eugene Water & Electric Board (EWEB) was formed in 1911 as a publicly
owned utility to provide reliable and safe drinking water to the City of Eugene.
Since that time, EWEB has come to rely on the McKenzie River watershed for
power generation from its hydroelectric facilities at Carmen-Smith, Leaburg, and
Walterville and as the sole source of drinking water for the City of Eugene.
EWEB maintains an infrastructure in the McKenzie River watershed that consists
of dams, canals, lakes, power generation facilities, tunnels, roads, buildings,
electric transmission lines, dikes, fences, and transformer substations. EWEB
also owns property in the watershed associated with its electric generation
facilities as well as islands, riparian areas, and upland properties. In short, the
McKenzie River is the lifeblood of EWEB and protection of this watershed is vital
to EWEB and the community of Eugene.
The overall concept of source protection is to have the ability to measure the
balance between watershed health and human use over time and implement
actions that maintain a healthy balance for production of exceptional water
quality. This requires not only being aware of all the different human activities
going on within the watershed, but also understanding the limits of what the river
can handle and still maintain a high level of water quality.
Nonpoint Sources of Pollution
In 2005, EWEB began focusing on assessing potential threats from nonpoint
sources of pollution associated with agriculture, forestry, septic systems and
development activities. The objective of the nonpoint source subprogram is to
inventory, track, evaluate, and monitor nonpoint sources of potential pollution
(i.e., concentration of septic systems; agricultural activities; forest management
activities, stormwater and urban runoff, etc.) to understand these potential threats
and work with regulatory agencies, land owners, and business groups to
implement best management practices and reduce potential threats to drinking
water. The following discussion focuses on assessing and working with the
agricultural community to develop and implement long-term strategies for
increasing the economic viability of agriculture while reducing chemical use and
protecting a critical drinking water source.
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In the McKenzie watershed, most agricultural land (or about 5% of the
watershed) is located along the valley floor in close proximity to the river and
EWEB's intake. From 1996 to 2001, a number of U.S. Geological Survey studies
were conducted in the Willamette River Basin that looked at impacts of
agricultural activities on streams, rivers and drinking water supplies. These
studies show that pesticides and nutrients occurred more frequently and at
higher concentrations at monitoring sites located in agricultural areas.
Priority Contamination Threat
The priority contamination threat is from nonpoint sources of potential pollution, which
include septic systems, agricultural activities, forest management activities, stormwater
and urban runoff, etc..
Local Involvement and Developing the Protection Plan
In August 2000, EWEB completed a plan to protect the McKenzie River as the
sole source of drinking water for the City of Eugene. EWEB used an
interdisciplinary team of staff from environmental management, water resources
planning and drinking water treatment to research and write this comprehensive
source protection plan. The plan focused on four main areas: 1) source
protection monitoring; 2) effective partnerships; 3) regulatory analysis; and, 4)
environmental setting and risk assessment. EWEB solicited feedback from the
major stakeholders in the watershed and incorporated their comments in the final
plan approved by EWEB's Board of Directors in October 2000.
EWEB began development of a source protection program in May 2001 that
implements the August 2000 plan to address the various threats to water quality
and long-term viability of the McKenzie River as a drinking water source. EWEB
is currently working closely and developing long-term partnerships with over 40
agencies and watershed stakeholders as this program is implemented in the
watershed. EWEB's Drinking Water Source Protection Program consists of the
following eight elements:
Comprehensive Monitoring
Disaster Preparedness and Response
Education and Research Assistance
Point Source Evaluation and Mitigation
Nonpoint Source Evaluation and Mitigation
Land Acquisition/Easements
Public Outreach and Information Sharing
Watershed Land Use Tracking
EWEB has taken the lead in protecting the McKenzie River both in terms of
financial contributions and by convening partners to work on a number of
watershed protection projects.
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Management Measures
In 2005, EWEB started the 'Healthy Farms Clean Water' project, with the overall
goal of developing long-term relationships with growers, local agricultural
agencies, watershed stakeholders, universities, and others to reduce chemical
use while increasing the economic vitality of McKenzie farmers as valuable
stewards of the watershed. The following activities have grown out of this
project.
General
Mapped crop types in the McKenzie watershed using aerial photography
and ground truthing.
Completed an Agricultural Activities Assessment and Evaluation Plan in
February 2005 that conducted a more in-depth evaluation of potential
threats from agriculture and outlined ways to work with stakeholders.
Conducted an initial analysis of crop types, potential chemical use based
on crop type, soil type, and proximity to surface water bodies to highlight
agricultural areas that have a higher potential for runoff of agricultural
chemicals to impact surface waters.
EWEB became an active member and participant in development of the
Oregon Sustainable Agriculture Resource Center at Oregon State
University (OSU).
EWEB's Drinking Water Source Protection Coordinator is actively involved
on the Board of Directors for Cascade Pacific Resource Conservation &
Development (RC&D), Oregon Association of RC&D Councils and East
Lane Soil & Water Conservation District.
Technical Assistance
EWEB provides technical assistance and support to growers in the McKenzie
watershed to reduce chemical use along the McKenzie River through the
following initiatives:
» Provides free soil sampling and analysis to allow for better management of
fertilizer application.
» Provides interested farmers in the McKenzie watershed full reimbursement of
organic certification costs when they obtain certification through Oregon Tilth.
Two farms have been certified to date.
» Worked with growers in 2006 to become eligible for the USDA Conservation
Security Program (CSP) in the McKenzie watershed. The CSP is a voluntary
conservation program that supports ongoing stewardship of private
agricultural lands by providing financial payments for maintaining and
enhancing natural resources. EWEB offered to collect and analyze soil
samples from active croplands to meet one of the requirements of this
program. EWEB collected nearly 100 soil samples at 23 different farms.
» Worked with Springfield Utility Board, Oregon Health Division, Oregon DEQ,
Lane County Solid Waste, OSU Extension, and others to implement a
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program that removed approximately 44 tons of old and/or no longer used
agricultural chemicals (such as DDT, paraquat, lindane, dieldrin, etc.) from
126 different farms and properly destroyed these chemicals through
incineration free of charge to the growers.
Local Food
EWEB and its partners seek to create a regional market place that promotes
water quality protection and agricultural opportunities in the Willamette River
Basin (which includes the McKenzie watershed). In an effort to increase the
economic health of local farmers and provide greater security to Eugene's food
and water supply in the face of climate change and increased oil costs, EWEB is
involved in the following activities to open local markets to local farmers.
» EWEB is currently working with Cascade Pacific RC&D, Willamette Farm &
Food Coalition (WFFC), Ten Rivers Food Web, OSU Extension, Lane
Community College and others to organize and put on an annual Local Food
Connection event that brings together local farmers and food buyers to make
connections and promote the use of locally-grown food. The second annual
event in February 2008 was a networking success, attracting over 180
farmers, food buyers, and other organizations.
» EWEB is working with Ecotrust, WFFC, and Good Company to set up a local
'FoodHub' in the Eugene/Springfield area to support and encourage local
food production. The 'FoodHub' concept refers to a web-based marketplace
where local buyers and growers can connect and communicate with each
other and conduct business transactions online. As envisioned, the FoodHub
is a multi-tiered system that will be developed in a phased approach:
Tier 1: Basic online, searchable directory/database of local growers and
buyers in a specified geographic area.
Tier 2: Growers and buyers produce periodic (ex. weekly) 'fresh sheets' of
the types and quantities of produce/products that they wish to buy/sell.
Online transactions and payments are supported.
Tier 3: The most complex of the three tiers, this includes the development
of a distribution system where growers and buyers can take advantage of
pooling their resources in order to facilitate efficient distribution of (for
example) produce from several growers to one or more buyers elsewhere.
This portion of the FoodHub is still being developed conceptually and may
become an Oregon Solutions Project, supported by the Governor's Office.
» EWEB is providing matching funds to the WFFC for a Meyer Memorial Trust
grant. This grant enables WFFC to raise public awareness of the benefits of
buying locally, assist McKenzie watershed farmers in finding local markets for
their crops, and help larger buyers to overcome the barriers to sourcing
product locally. WFFC is also creating the local database of growers that will
ultimately feed the FoodHub online system described above.
Protection/Restoration of Farmland
EWEB is pursuing opportunities in the McKenzie watershed to increase
restoration and protection of riparian areas to provide critical habitat to fish and
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other animals, shade to reduce water temperatures and vegetation buffers to
treat chemical runoff from farm fields, roads, parking lots and other sources.
» EWEB helps growers in the McKenzie watershed to become eligible for
participation in the USDA Conservation Security Program (CSP), which
rewards farmers for exceptional stewardship with payments.
» EWEB is a participant in the Farmland Preservation Program, a project under
the Willamette Farm and Food Coalition designed to protect prime farmland
from development.
» EWEB is working to better understand the ecosystem marketplace, which will
potentially allow farmers to sell temperature, carbon, or other mitigation
credits for protecting/conserving riparian areas, wildlife habitat, or forests.
» EWEB's Drinking Water Source Protection Coordinator is on the Board of
Directors for the East Lane Soil & Water Conservation District (SWCD), which
is currently exploring the possibility of forming an agricultural land trust to
protect farmland in the Upper Willamette Valley from future development.
Future Directions
» In 2009, EWEB plans to meet with individual growers to discuss specific
projects and opportunities relating to their land, such as increased riparian
restoration, easements, more sustainable use of chemicals, finding local
markets for their crops, etc. Out of these conversations, EWEB would like to
convene an advisory group of growers to work on projects and disseminate
information to other farmers in the watershed.
» Support for conducting energy audits and increasing use of renewable energy
on farms.
» Acquisition of 700 to 1,500 acres of prime farmland in the McKenzie
watershed for development of a long-term experimental farm with Oregon
State University and other partners that focuses on applying research on the
ground associated with sustainable farming practices.
» As the FoodHub concept becomes more established, EWEB would like to add
additional components to the system, such as:
o Technical assistance to assist growers in applying for grants that support
restoration work on their land;
o Development of a Geographic Information System (CIS) based web
component that allows farmers to select their parcel and evaluate the
types of potential crops that could be grown on their land (based on CIS
analysis of soil type, precipitation, slope and aspect, elevation, etc.).
Growers could then assess the market demand for these crops to
determine economic viability of transitioning to a new crop. The system
would then provide technical assistance on how to transition from the
existing crop to a new crop (and how to obtain third party organic or
sustainable certification);
o Financial assistance to develop more efficient irrigation systems; and,
o Technical assistance to develop future crop/land management plans
based on what their specific parcels of land can support (depending on
size, soils, topography, precipitation, etc.)
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Contingency Planning
A comprehensive source protection program is a form of contingency planning.
EWEB and its partners currently conduct extensive water quality and biological
monitoring throughout the watershed both during storm events and on a regular,
fixed-interval basis. EWEB is using this data to build a watershed model that will
allow prediction of rainfall-runoff relationships, pollution load calculations and
contaminant transport scenarios. EWEB's development of strong partnerships
associated with the many source protection projects completed in the watershed
provides for effective communication around spills, chemical use or other events
that might have an impact on water quality.
Measuring Program Effectiveness
EWEB's investment in conducting an assessment of each viable threat in the
watershed and collecting water quality, CIS and other data to better understand
the relative risk posed by these threats lays the foundation for measuring
program effectiveness over time. In the case of agriculture, EWEB has made
working with the agricultural community a priority to develop a system that makes
it easier for growers to supply local markets, reduce chemical use and increase
riparian buffers. These and other efforts are intended to safeguard farmland from
development, increase food security and protect critical water supplies. As a
measure of success we would expect to see the following trends:
Increase in the number of growers using 'sustainable' farming practices or
obtaining organic or other similar certifications;
Increase in the number of attendees at the annual Local Food Connection
event;
Quantification of additional chemicals removed from the watershed during
chemical collection events;
Increase in the number of conservation easements that protect riparian
areas and place active farmland in land trusts in the watershed;
Increase in conservation activities in the watershed (ex. participation in
USDA Conservation Security Program or in watershed council sponsored
projects);
Decreasing incidence or magnitude of pollutants detected in the McKenzie
River and its tributaries (obtained through both monitoring and modeling);
Increase in use and number/amount of transactions occurring on the
FoodHub website (once the FoodHub website is operational);
Increase in the amount of local product purchased by local food buyers;
Reduction in pesticides/chemicals used in the watershed; and,
Increase in the number of food distributors, food storage and processing
businesses that cater to local producers.
For further information contact:
Karl Morgenstern
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Drinking Water Source Protection Coordinator
Eugene Water & Electric Board
541-341-8552
karl.morgenstern@eweb.eugene.or.us
or
Nancy Toth
Eugene Water & Electric Board
541-344-6311 ext. 3318
nancy.toth(S)eweb.eugene.or.us
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