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More from river, less from spring Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell James Stockton, water plant supervisor of the Duff Treatment plant in White City, walks through the "Pipe Gallery," part of the system that provides up to 50 million gallons of water every day to the Rogue Valley. By MELISSA MARTIN WHITE CITY - You won't find Picasso, Rembrandt or Michelangelo in the "Pipe Gallery." Instead, the art in this room is made of glossy red, blue and brown galvanized steel pipes that carry 10 million gallons of water a day to Rogue Valley homes. Water is flowing through the painted pipes again after the Duff Treatment plant in White City began drawing from the Rogue River last week, something the Medford Water Commission does each May through September to supplement its primary source, a mountain spring. This year, Medford Water Commission plans to draw more water than usual from the river and rely less on Big Butte Springs during a summer predicted to be one of the driest since 1994. "The springs have held up pretty well, but they are a little lower than we would normally see them," said Ed Olson, Medford Water Commission manager. Medford supplies drinking water for 100,000 people living in Medford, Central Point, Eagle Point, Phoenix, Jacksonville and, next year, Talent. Medford Water Commission will reduce its daily draw from the springs from 26.5 million to 20 million gallons in order to supply Willow Lake, a Medford Water Commission reservoir that also serves as a water source for the Eagle Point Irrigation District. Willow Lake is about 60 percent full and is expected to drop to 1,500 acre feet in coming months, as low as it was in the last decade's driest years of 1992 and 1994, Olson said. "There won't be much water-skiing up there this summer," Olson said. Medford Water Commission could draw up to 30 million gallons daily from the river in June to meet Rogue Valley water daily demands of about 50 million gallons. Medford's drinking water source since 1925 has been Big Butte Springs, near the base of Mount McLoughlin. But in 1967, the valley's population needed a supplemental supply and the Duff Treatment plant was built near TouVelle State Park. Water is pumped from the river, mixed with chemicals and kept in contact basins, where it slowly migrates through mazes to give the chemicals time to work and particles such as clay and dirt time to settle to the bottom, explains James Stockton, water plant supervisor. The water is filtered through layers of coal, sand and gravel, then pumped to Rogue Valley homes. It's a lot of work to treat water that people will use more often to sprinkle their lawns and wash their cars than quench their thirst. But the Safe Drinking Water Act of 1974 guarantees a clean water supply, something the Medford Water Commission easily accomplishes, Stockton said. "We strive to be considerably lower for any maximum contaminant level there is," Stockton said. For example, the clarity or turbidity of Medford water measures 0.03, much lower than the federal standard of 0.5. "With the combination of high-quality raw water we have - which is an excellent water supply - and the level of technology and degree of efficiency that this facility allows, we can consistently provide that kind of water quality." In a summer predicted to be nearly as dry as the drought years of the '90s, Rogue River levels are expected to be low as well, possibly creating high algae content. The more algae, the more prone the water is to aesthetic problems such as musty odors and taste. And that could require more chemicals at the treatment plant, according to Stockton. Laura Hodnett, the water commission's public information coordinator, says there is no danger of low water supplies for the commission' customers. Still, she encourages folks to conserve, especially in lawn watering. To find out more, call the water commission information line at 857-0904. Reach reporter Melissa Martin at 776-4497, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.