Questions about our monitoring program?
Email us or call 541-685-7355.
We understand how important it is to provide you with a safe and reliable water supply. That's why we created a broad-based, water-quality monitoring program to measure the health of the McKenzie River. We're always looking for possible threats to our community's drinking water. We are very fortunate that the McKenzie River has excellent water quality, and we do our best to keep it that way.
We collect water samples from sites along the McKenzie River and its tributaries to measure current water quality and compare them to past samples to find out if water quality is changing over time. We also check the water for pesticides, metals, nutrients and bacteria that can wash into the river during storms. In summer months, we check reservoirs in the McKenzie Watershed for harmful algal blooms (HABs).
Algae blooms and cyanotoxins
The Oregon Health Authority (OHA) requires EWEB to test biweekly for cyanotoxins from May 1 to October 31 each year. Learn more about our comprehensive cyanotoxin monitoring program by clicking below.
Learn more about watershed monitoring
- The McKenzie Water Quality Data website provides direct access to data and information EWEB has collected about the health of the McKenzie River.
- The (click to download) McKenzie River Watershed Baseline Monitoring Report provides water-quality monitoring results and analysis for the years 2000-2009.
- For more information on current watershed conditions, please visit the Pure Water Partners website.
- Find more information on EWEB's drinking water quality.
Drinking water quality
Even with a high-quality source like the McKenzie River, we still have to filter and disinfect the river water to deliver safe drinking water to your home or business. At our Hayden Bridge filtration plant, we work hard to deliver water that meets or exceeds all state and federal health standards so that you can enjoy tasty and healthy drinking water right from your tap. We use a three step process to turn water from the McKenzie River into safe drinking water and our technicians, as well as independent laboratories, collect and test more than 85,000 samples from source to tap each year.
Learn more