Medford Water has a longstanding commitment to safeguarding our water sources through proactive planning, collaborative efforts, and strategic actions, overseeing two watersheds:
- Big Butte Springs, a groundwater resource, and the
- Rogue River, a surface water resource.
Source water protection is an important first step of assuring safe drinking water, because starting with the best possible quality source water helps ensure that water treatment can be effective and efficient at all times. The susceptibility of our public drinking water system sources depends on both the natural conditions in the watershed areas as well as the activities that take place there.
The BBS and Rogue River watersheds encompass diverse land uses, including forestry, agriculture, recreation, urban development, transportation, and industrial activities. Protection is accomplished by effective state public health programs, environmental protection, land use policies, proactive land stewardship, and implementation of local drinking water protection efforts. View information on our Source Water Protection Plan, our Spill Response Program, and the assessment of the contamination susceptibility our watershed areas below.
Source Water Protection Plan
Our Source Water Protection Plan (SWPP) is a guiding framework to protect our water resources from potential risks that could compromise water quality and availability.
The plan outlines protective strategies for our watersheds, evaluating present and future natural and human-related risks, identifying key objectives and protective strategies and actions, and outlining the program’s future direction to address both current and emerging threats. Key objectives of the SWPP focus on improving water quality and water availability in the tributaries of the Rogue River above the Robert A. Duff Water Treatment Plant intake, reducing wildfire risk in the BBS watershed, and establishing emergency spill prevention and response plans for both water sources.
Spill Response Program
A key component of our Source Water Protection Plan is a geographic spill response plan, which includes response material and equipment, and training, funded by grants from the Oregon Health Authority and the Oregon State Fire Marshal. Equipment includes a large amount of gear and supplies for implementing strategies and use in training, such as a 600′ solid containment boom, 2400′ of rope, assorted hardware, tools, personal protective equipment, and radios.
At spill control classes, professional instructors bring together our staff and partners from all over the region for hands-on training that covers spill types, containment strategies and equipment, and collection and recovery. This training informs and educates responders so that hazards can be minimized as fast as possible.
As a result of this program, Oregon Health Authority and Department of Environmental Quality have presented Medford Water with a Drinking Water Source Protection Award for protection activities that substantially lower risks to the public water system’s source of drinking water.
Source Water Assessment
An updated Source Water Assessment has been completed for the Rogue River. This assessment identifies the watershed areas providing source drinking water for Medford Water, as well as the potential origins of regulated and certain unregulated contaminants in the watershed. The Assessment is used to determine the susceptibility of the Medford Water system to contamination.
Big Butte Springs Wellhead Protection Plan
A Wellhead Protection Plan has been completed for Big Butte Springs. This kind of protection program is designed to protect a well or wellfield from contamination. This includes protection of the surface and subsurface area surrounding the well or wellfield, referred to as the “Wellhead Protection Area.” The Big Butte Springs program protects water quality through proper management of sources and activities within the protection area, and is preventative in nature, in that it attempts to prevent groundwater contamination problems before they occur. For more information on this plan, contact our office.
Rogue Drinking Water Partnership
Medford Water is a proud member of the Rogue Drinking Water Partnership (RDWP), a collaborative effort by drinking water providers and other organizations in the Rogue River Basin to protect and improve the quality of drinking water and its sources.
Go to the Rogue Drinking Water Partnership’s website to learn more about the power of partnership when it comes to protecting our drinking water.