Overview
East Valley Water District's service area extends northerly from just north of Silverton, to just south of Woodburn and Molalla, between the Pudding River on the west and the Cascade Mountain foothills on the east. The District’s approximately 75 members are currently served by individual farm wells and direct withdrawals from local surface waters. Limited surface water supplies and lowering groundwater levels make the development of a new surface water source an imperative. The District has over 36,000 acres of valuable crop land.
Over 26,000 acres within The District's service area lies within two Groundwater Limited Areas, Mt Angel and Gladtidings, protected by the Oregon Water Resources Department. Nearly three square miles of high-value irrigated agriculture is at risk without the development of a safe, sustainable water supply development project.
What is a Groundwater Limited Area?
The northern Willamette Valley contains many sources of groundwater that are isolated in volcanic rock. Conditions in the groundwater supply have caused declines in the availability of water in twelve areas in Oregon.
The Oregon Water Resources Department and their commission established 12 Groundwater Limited Areas in the northern Willamette Valley. East Valley Water District is located within the Mt. Angel GLA (10,640 acres) and the Gladtidings GLA (16,000 acres.) Oregon Water Resources Department protects existing water rights in the GLAs by preventing excessive groundwater declines, restoring aquifer (groundwater supply) stability and preserving aquifers with limited storage capacity.
What about Surface Water in the District?
Surface water supply has been fully appropriated for the area within The District. Surface water is also regularly limited during the period of use for irrigation purposes. Some members have conditional temporary permits for water use; however these are not long term agreements and many of the temporary permits have been cancelled or will expire in the near future.
The Drift Creek Water Supply Development Project
East Valley Water District must develop a supplemental water supply source to provide irrigation water to its members to satisfy current and future demands. The District has studied water needs and alternative sources for over twenty years. After extensive study, it was determined that a surface storage facility is the most viable option to provide a safe, sustainable and economical supply of water to East Valley Water District.
The District studied over 75 potential sites for the project. Stringent screening criteria including evaluation of stream flows, environmental conditions, geological considerations and fault lines deemed Drift Creek as the most viable location for the reservoir.