Ashland proposes change to water system | Waterwatch | kdrv.com - KDRV

Ashland proposes change to water system | Waterwatch | kdrv.com

ASHLAND, Ore. – The City of Ashland is looking to upgrade its current water system. Many of the water pipes in the city were installed over 100 years ago.

One proposal that the city is looking to move forward with is adding a new pipe from Reeder Reservoir. Deputy public works director, Mike Morrison, said this change not only replaces the old system, but makes it more reliable.

“We're very fortunate that most of the system does work off gravity,” Morrison said. “This project would allow us to do away with one of the pumping stations.”

This new system would make it so Ashland doesn’t need water pumps. Morrison told NewsWatch 12 that gravity is cheaper and more reliable than water pumps for moving water.

“The mechanical systems like the pumps, those are prone to failures at times,” Morrison said. “We do have backup pumps, but it's less expensive to operate just on gravity.”

When Ashland’s water system was originally created, most areas were fed from the Reeder Reservoir. Some sections of the town needed water pumped into it.

Reeder Reservoir sits 400 feet higher than the tallest point of the city. If a new pipe is installed from the reservoir, Ashland doesn’t have to pump the water where it needs to go because it can flow down from the higher point.

Morrison also told NewsWatch 12 that this change would benefit every Ashlander. The project proposal would be funded from current fees on water usage in the city.

“This particular one benefits the whole system,” Morrison said. “It's paid for by everybody that utilizes the system.”

Besides making the water system more reliable for Ashlanders, it would also make it more reliable for firefighters fighting a fire at the upper edge of Ashland. During a wildfire where infrastructure like pumps could get damaged and stop working, gravity pulling water from the reservoir will always work.