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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Victorious Raiders parade trophy through downtown Ashland State police search for pursuit suspect near Hyatt Lake Police Reports Cheering on the champs Ashland's Safeway part of Haggen acquisition Education For a friend: AHS seniors team up to help former fellow student Ashland builds a bridge across the STEM gap Chicken pox hits Ashland Middle School AHS speech and debate team to compete in Medford Ashland: Lions Club steps up for vision tests Environment New TAP pumps bolster Ashland's options Most residents speak against gas pipeline proposed for Southern Oregon Home Help: Make your new house feel like home ‘Tis the season — for wild mushrooms Business Ashland's Safeway part of Haggen acquisition The Playwright pub will be serving again Saturday Mt. 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SOU tops Marian in NAIA football finals High school Shibley-Styer, Malcolm lead Grizzlies to comeback win over Henley Feinberg scores 17 in Grizz loss Grizzlies tripped up late in tourney loss to Ridgeview Grizzlies' comeback attempt falls short against Mazama Ashland girls win three duals in home swim meet Southern Oregon University Raiders bring it home Weber's triple-double help SOU men survive OT thriller For fans who made trip, title game special Cheering on the champs Shibley-Styer, Malcolm lead Grizzlies to comeback win over Henley Opinion Latest Stories Herb Rothschild Jr.: The Christmas spirit Our View: Good news this week The vaccination deniers Granlund cartoon: Christmas season Matthew T. Mangino: The future of the death penalty in question? Editorial Our View: Good news this week The vaccination deniers Other Views: Hunting helps the economy Our View: ACH's remarkable recovery Our View: Growing up is inevitable Letters Letters to the Editor, Dec. 17 Letters to the Editor, Dec. 16 Letters to the Editor, Dec. 11 Letters to the Editor, Dec. 8 Letters to the Editor, Dec. 5 Guest opinions Herb Rothschild Jr.: The Christmas spirit Guest Opinion: Heard the buzz about Bee City USA? Herb Rothschild Jr.: Fight Zionist suppression Guest Opinion: Life — and death — by choice Guest Opinion: The environmental tipping point Revels Latest Stories Dancing People Company celebrates the Winter Solstice 4 Things to do this weekend Listings for Varsity Theatre and Ashland Street Cinemas Best Bets: Dec. 18-24 'Homesman' plays grit and despair perfectly Theater ACT presents reading of 'The Quality of Life' Putting the music into 'A Christmas Carol' Meet the real Jacob Marley Music Rating old-timers’ albums from 2014 SOU presents all-percussion concert Visual Art Ashland's First Friday Art Walk showcases new exhiits by regional artists Movies Movie review: This ‘Museum’ entry should be closed to the public Listings for Varsity Theatre and Ashland Street Cinemas 'Homesman' plays grit and despair perfectly Movie review: Exiting Middle-earth with a triumphant flourish Movie review: A captivating film about a girl gone ‘Wild’ Food and Drink Cruelest Month: Poetry Blog Lifestyle Latest Stories Looking Up: The stars from the North Pole Suzette Martinez Standring: Christmas light reflections Health Watch: Change up your treadmill workout In Good Faith: Fallen angels Marketta Gregory: Advent calendar Aging Happens Inner Peace Column Inner Peace Blog Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Photos Videos Blogs NEWS NOW Victorious Raiders parade trophy through downtown Ashland ... State police search for pursuit suspect near Hyatt Lake ... Raiders bring it home ... Victorious Raiders parade trophy through downtown Ashland ... State police search for pursuit suspect near Hyatt Lake ... Raiders bring it home ... PIPELINE New TAP pumps bolster Ashland's options Comment By Thomas Moriarty Daily Tidings DailyTidings.com By Thomas Moriarty Daily Tidings Posted Dec. 19, 2014 @ 6:16 am By Thomas Moriarty Daily Tidings Posted Dec. 19, 2014 @ 6:16 am » Social News A new pump station approved last week for the Talent-Ashland-Phoenix pipeline could eventually deliver to Ashland up to 3 million gallons of water a day in an emergency. The TAP project, completed in August, links Ashland to the Medford Water Commission supply through existing systems in Phoenix and Talent, and is intended to provide the city with water in emergencies. Construction of the high-powered pump station, one of two options presented to the Ashland City Council at its Dec. 2 meeting, will come at a cost of more than $1 million. That's more than $500,000 higher than the alternative option of using existing pumping equipment, which officials said would also have met the original intent of the pipeline. But the city's Water Department said the cheaper option wouldn't allow for future expansion from 2.13 million gallons to 3 million gallons a day. Councilor Carol Voison, the sole dissenting vote on the pump station issue, had suggested waiting to make a decision until the effects of climate change were more readily apparent. As of Dec. 2, the Oregon Department of Water Resources considered eastern Jackson County to be in "extreme drought." "It's the worst on record for the city of Ashland," says City Administrator Dave Kanner. "I would add, though, that the citizens of Ashland really pulled together in conserving water. We got to the end of September with the reservoir basically full." He says the main concern prompting the desire to have access to more water volume when needed is simply the city's own lack of public water resources. Unlike the 800-acre Ashland watershed, which has no reserves, the Lost Creek watershed that would help feed the line from Medford has reserve levels set aside specifically for drought years. Without access to that backup supply, the city could find itself in disaster territory.  "If the (Ashland) reservoir gets too low, you run the risk of a toxic algae bloom," Kanner said. In that case, the city would have to shut down the reservoir completely while the water was treated, which could take several days or longer. The other issue is the city's water treatment plant, which Kanner said is in a potentially precarious position. "The treatment plant itself is located in a deep ravine that could make it vulnerable to landslides, to wildfires," he said. Kanner said the city's water master plan, on which construction of the pipeline was based, did take climate change into account, but looked only 25 years ahead. "We have no way of knowing what the city's water situation will be 40, 50, 60 years from now," he said. Reach reporter Thomas Moriarty at 541-776-4471, or by email at [email protected] . Follow him at @ThomasDMoriarty . By Thomas Moriarty Daily Tidings DailyTidings.com By Thomas Moriarty Daily Tidings Posted Dec. 19, 2014 @ 6:16 am » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2014 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 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