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54 °F Forecast | Road Cams Friday, June 17, 2005 Today's News | Shop Our Valley | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery | Contact Us SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Britt Festival Medford Cruise Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Health Biz Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley SHOP OUR VALLEY AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Classified Place an ad TOP JOBS EXTRA Ashland News NIE Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Moving here? eSouthernOregon CUSTOMER SERVICE FAQ's Advertise with us Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend May 22, 2005 The Duff Water Treatment Plant, across from TouVelle State Park, pulls water from the Rogue River to supplement Medford Water Commission supplies during the dry summer months. Mail Tribune / Roy Musitelli TAPPED OUT? Population growth expected to collide with a finite drinking-water supply for the Bear Creek Basin By MEG LANDERS Mail Tribune Once considered an unlimited supply of drinking water for residents in the Bear Creek Basin, the pristine Big Butte Springs and supplemental supplies from the Rogue River will be maxed out in nine years if growth and usage continue at present rates, officials warn. "When we get to 2014 ... we better produce more water some place, and we can’t get it out of the springs," said Larry Rains, manager of the Medford Water Commission, which supplies water to 115,000 residents in Medford and six other communities. The commission can supplement with treated water from the Rogue River, which it does every year during the dry summer months. But in nine years the Duff Water Treatment Plant will reach its capacity. To prepare for the added demand, the commission plans to expand the capacity from 45 million gallons of river water per day to 65 million, the commission’s maximum water right. But by 2030, when the commission predicts its customer base will have grown by 55,000 people to 170,000, even that capacity will be reached. Advertisement "That doesn’t mean all our water is used up and we’re done, but it does mean we ought to start looking at conservation," Rains said. Rain s said without conservation, the Medford Water Commission will be facing measures such as rationing water or imposing building moratoriums by 2050 or 2070. "We could try to develop more of the water that runs down the Rogue River. We’re working with the Endangered Species Act, things like that," he said, adding that there might be ways to acquire more water rights. But as the commission relies more and more on Rogue River water — which is not as cold, clear or tasty as Big Butte Springs water — more chemical treatment and processing will be required, Rains noted. Warning sign? Big Butte Springs, which supplies most of the water for the Bear Creek Basin, hasn’t fully recharged this year, an effect of low snowpack and rainfall of the past 12 years or so, said Rains. "The spring level is down; it’s not coming up as much," he said. Normally the commission takes 40.8 cubic feet per second from the springs, Rains said, but this year it reduced the flow to 38.4 cfs. The springs has been slow to recharge four of the last five years. Rains said cold, wet spring months have been a boon for the commission, which has not yet had to supplement supplies with river water."Let’s say today was a 100-degree day, then we would crank up the Duff treatment," Rains said last week. "We’ve been kind of in a drought trend," acknowledged Bob Jones, water commission geologist. "There’s an 11- to 13-year cycle that you’ll have in a drought period and then you’ll go to a wet period." Heavy rains do not mean an immediate recharge, however. Jones said rainfall and the snowmelt on Mount McLoughlin — the springs’ main source — take a variety of routes as they come down the mountain and can take years to reach the springs. "We could be drinking snowpack in a year, up to tens of years, up to thousands of years," he said. "What we need to get (is)... rain and snow in November and December, and that starts the recharge and it continues into spring," said Jones. The springs weren’t as closely monitored prior to the 1990s, officials said, so it’s difficult to say how often the spring has been slow to recharge. But that it’s happening now only serves as a reminder that it’s not the "unlimited" supply residents once believed when the springs were first tapped in 1927. Jones said it’s unlikely a new water source could be discovered in order to meet future demand. "We have to take the resources we have and manage it better," he said. The wonders of nature Eric Dittmer, geology professor and director of environmental studies at Southern Oregon University, said Big Butte Springs,located on the western flank of Mount McLoughlin, is one of the area’s greatest assets. "It’s among the best water in the country," he said. Dittmer said the springs are fed by water filtered through tubes that formed from cooling lava spilled by a nearby volcano (probably long since gone). The water that comes through those tubes is incredibly clean, he said. It’s also generally safe from natural disasters, he added. Dittmer said although earthquakes can interrupt groundwater flow, these tubes are large passageways, so it’s less likely that an earthquake would lead to the loss of the spring water. The water is treated with a small amount of state-required chlorine before it is piped 31 miles to a grid system that distributes water to Medford, Central Point, Eagle Point, Jacksonville, Phoenix, Talent, White City and four water districts. Conservation is key There are several ways to plan for the future when supply will meet demand, said Dittmer. "The first and the foremost is conservation," he said, adding curbingoutdoor watering is top on the list. Even though Dittmer has a lawn himself, he said it’s not very practical. "You put all this energy into growing it, and then you cut it, and then you throw away the cuttings," he said. Laura Hodnett won’t argue with that. The Medford Water Commission public information coordinator said municipalities see water usage multiply in the summer months, and it’s mostly to water grass. For example, in 2003, Medford’s winter low was 216 million gallons per month, and the summer high rose to 847 million gallons per month — nearly four times the quantity. The average residential customer uses 6,000 gallons per month in the winter and 27,000 gallons per month in the summer, she said. Conservation is voluntary at this point, according to Hodnett. Medford did implement a tiered rate system two years ago, so the big water users pay a higher percentage, in part to encourage conservation. But Hodnett said the city has never come out and discouraged residents from planting lawns. She said communities in other states have a "cash for grass" program, where they’ll pay water customers to remove their lawns. "When people install landscapes they need to think long-term," said Hodnett. But people are protective of their turf, and even new developments still put in grassy lawns and sprinkler systems. "Lawns are and have been part of the American culture," said Dennis Hoffbuhr, a developer whose residential developments include Vista Pointe, Eagle Trace and Summerfield in the Southeast Plan. "It’s difficult to have people give up lawn. "They’re pretty to look at, kids can play on them and they can fall down and not get hurt," he said. "It’s multi-purpose landscaping." He said he’s seen people moving to the area from more arid climates because a lush lawn was a high priority. It will take time for water-efficient landscaping, or xeriscape, to catch on, he said. "I just think it’s going to take a change in our local culture," he said. Hodnett said the commission is about to embark on a long-range planning project that will include looking at what other cities do. One step the commission has taken is to require municipalities to apply for water rights from another reliable water source. Hodnett said Phoenix, Talent, Jacksonville, Central Point and Eagle Point must obtain enough rights from another source to procure at least one-third of their 2020 demand. Jacksonville, Talent and Phoenix have purchased water rights from Lost Creek Lake, said Arthur Armour, hydraulic engineer with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Portland. He said Talent’s rights are for 1,292 acre feet per year, which comes out to more than 1 million gallons per day for 365 days. Phoenix’s rights are for 1,000 acre feet per year and Jacksonville’s rights are for 400 acre feet per year. Hodnett said Eagle Point and Central Point are pursuing water rights from another source. Ed Olson, water commission manager from 1988 to 2003, said the commission has been trying to alert customers for years to the need to conserve. "Our society’s built around reacting to crisis," said Olson. "It’s hard to get people’s continued attention." He said in an emergency, if the water supply were to be limited, the commission would not cut off supply to cities but would treat everybody equally. "Cities are our best customer," said Olson, who still does occasional work for the commission. "They always pay our bill, never complain." He said some communities offer rebates for households that switch to water-efficient toilets, shower heads and washing machines. He said if everyone did the switch it would make a noticeable difference. Reach reporter Meg Landers at 776-4481 or e-mail [email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. 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