EWEB leads annual "Spill Drill" with emergency responders on McKenzie River
To conduct the drill, dozens of watershed scientists, firefighters, and hazardous materials specialists waded into the river to set up fast-water containment booms. The floating booms direct surface contaminants like oil into a skimmer that would remove it from the water. Team members control the booms with a series of ropes spanning the river.
EWEB coordinates the drill as part of the utility’s work to protect the McKenzie River – the source of drinking water for more than 200,000 residents of Eugene and Springfield.
“The spill drill keeps our partnerships working well. When a milk tanker spilled in May, EWEB and partners rapidly deployed a containment system at the same location that we drilled in October of 2025—our collective response once again proved our readiness to respond to incidents,” EWEB Water Resources Supervisor Susan Fricke said.
The milk tanker crash occurred at 4:30 A.M. on May 15. Upper McKenzie Rural Fire Protection District arrived on-site within a half an hour and initiated spill response protocols.
“Our partners acted quickly and knew who to call thanks to our work keeping our partnerships active,” said David Donahue, who coordinates the spill drill. “These drills are a core part of maintaining our contacts and connections, as well as assessing the gear and going through the motions to deploy it.”
The annual drill brings together members of the McKenzie Watershed Emergency Response System (MWERS). More than a dozen local, state, and federal agencies participate, including McKenzie Fire & Rescue, Eugene-Springfield Fire Hazmat, the Lane County Sheriff’s Office, the Springfield Utility Board, City of Springfield, Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, and the U.S. Forest Service. The system uses detailed mapping to give emergency crews information and instructions for containing spills at pre-designated deployment sites throughout the watershed.
Hendricks Bridge County Park is an ideal location to capture contaminants in the case of an actual spill. The park is upstream of EWEB’s Hayden Bridge Water Treatment Facility, has a boat ramp for launching support crafts, ample parking for the multiple emergency organizations, and the river is usually shallow enough for responders to wade across.
To report a real spill, observers can call the Oregon Emergency Response System (OERS) at 1-800-452-0311 or the Hayden Bridge Water Treatment Plant at 541-341-8500.
