NEWS
B Y RYA N M O L O N E Y
CLEANING THE
DRINKING WATER
T
he McKenzie River is home to a diverse collection of wildlife and is also the
source of Eugene’s drinking water. The 90-mile tributary of the Willamette is
home to fish like rainbow trout, spring Chinook and mountain whitefish. Unfortu-
nately, the wildlife, as well as anyone else drinking the water, shares the river with
beer cans, mattresses and televisions among other waste that has been dumped
into the McKenzie.
The McKenzie Watershed Council (MWC) is hosting its annual McKenzie River
cleanup on July 9. The river cleanup will take place from 9 am to 2 pm and a celebration
will follow at Hendricks Bridge Wayside in Springfield from 1 to 4 pm. The McKenzie
River Guides Association (MRGA) and the McKenzie Flyfishers will cohost the event.
The McKenzie River cleanup has been an annual event for more than 40 years and
was started by the MRGA, but MWC has been the main host in recent years.
The McKenzie River is the primary drinking water source for Eugene and is also an
indirect water source for Springfield, which gets 90 percent of its drinking water from
wells that tap into water from the
McKenzie. Springfield plans to
use the McKenzie River as a di-
rect drinking water source when
its current sources reach capacity,
according to the Springfield Util-
ity Board.
The MWC, formed in 1993, is
a nonprofit volunteer group that
strives to restore and protect the
McKenzie River’s water quality
and wildlife. MWC has an as-
sortment
of events, projects and
— LARRY SIX,
programs
throughout the year,
M C K E N Z I E WAT E R S H E D C O U N C I L
like its Salmon Watch program, a
children’s education program for
Lane County students.
“It’s critical that we protect the
McKenzie,” MWC Executive Director Larry Six says.
Volunteers will sign in at Hendricks Bridge Wayside, the event’s headquarters, and be
directed to their assigned location. Some people will go out on boats, while others will
collect trash from the river’s shores. Volunteers will cover 80 miles of the McKenzie.
Last year’s 120 volunteers collected more trash than the Dumpsters could hold, Six says.
“I’m really heartened by the volunteers that are willing to spend their Saturday to
come down and help with this,” Six tells EW. “It’s a labor of love for everybody.”
After the cleanup ends, volunteers are invited to a celebratory barbecue from 1 to 4
pm at the cleanup headquarters at Hendricks Bridge. There will be free food, prizes and
T-shirts available at the site.
“It’s a matter of civic pride to keep a clean, aesthetically pleasing river,” Six says.
Go to mckenziewc.org for a list of sections of the river and waysides and boat launch-
es to be cleaned and contact Amanda Wilson at administration@mckenziewc.org or by
phone at 458-201-8150 to sign up. Hendricks Bridge is located at 38870 Hendricks Park
Road in Springfield.
‘It’s a matter of civic
pride to keep a clean,
aesthetically
pleasing river.’
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eugeneweekly.com • July 7, 2016
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