Of all the roadmaps for managing Ashland’s infrastructure, ensuring its water supply is the most important

By Jeff Dahle

“The first way to ensure that you will kill your community is to neglect the quality or quantity of water. On the basis of my work in rural development, I believe that you could blindfold me, take me into any small community, sit me down and the kitchen table in one of the homes there, and if you placed a glass of water from the tap in front of me, I could tell you almost everything important about that community.”

So begins the very first sentence of Chapter 1, titled “Don’t Have Quality Water” from the 2010 book “13 Ways to Kill Your Community” by Doug Griffiths and Kelly Clemmer.

At only 157 pages it takes very little time to consume, and I can assure any reader that it will have an indelible impact on the way we develop the necessary strategies to take positive, mindful action in order to address the novel challenges facing our beautiful town.

The follow-up question that many citizens ask is how we go about creating thoughtful, robust policies that guide all stakeholders through the needed steps toward proactive execution. The answer can be found in our master plans.

Master plans, our north stars

Like many communities, Ashland has created several master plans for its infrastructure to ensure strategic, efficient and sustainable development. Master plans serve as comprehensive long-term roadmaps for growth, addressing essential elements like land use, transportation, utilities, public facilities and environmental conservation.

The benefits of creating such plans include the following:

• Coordination: A master plan aligns various stakeholders, such as local government, private developers and community members, to work toward shared goals.
• Proactive problem-solving: By anticipating future needs and challenges, a master plan allows for proactive solutions rather than reactive responses to problems as they arise.
• Resource optimization: Planning infrastructure development in a coordinated manner helps optimize resource allocation and prevents costly redundancies.
• Environmental protection and climate impacts: Master plans incorporate strategies for minimizing environmental impact and ensuring sustainable development, contributing to a healthier, more resilient community.
• Community engagement: Involving residents in the planning process fosters a sense of ownership and engagement, resulting in a more cohesive and vibrant community. Ashland has no shortage of experienced, engaged citizens who welcome the opportunity to contribute by serving on our many advisory commissions. (By the way, if you’re interested in serving on a commission, we’re always looking! Click here for Councilor Bob Kaplan’s previous Council Corner to get started.)
• Adaptability: A well-designed master plan is flexible and adaptable, allowing for adjustments as community needs and priorities evolve over time.

When a question arises as to why the city is proceeding in a certain manner or direction relative to our infrastructure — such as why the decision is made to replace instead of repair — the first course of action is always to consult the associated master plan to ensure that what is occurring is in alignment with this guiding document.

All of Ashland’s Public Works’ master plans can be found here. Other master plans, such as those for parks and trails, can be found on the city’s website as well. We are also in the process of updating our electricity master plan, which will be presented at a council meeting in the near future.

The most important of all master plans: water

There are several consequences that a community will suffer when it neglects its infrastructure. Although deferred maintenance, such as leaving potholes unfilled and sidewalk cracks unrepaired, is potentially dangerous, many times it is simply unsightly and annoying. Partially clogged storm drains may result in bothersome puddles, but usually that happens only when the weather is particularly bad.

Compare those issues to how life as we know it would come to an immediate and abrupt standstill if one day we turned on the faucet and nothing happened. No drinking. No cooking. No cleaning. No personal hygiene or basic sanitation.

At a community level, no operable fire hydrants. Waste disposal systems such as sewage treatment plants would cease to function properly, leading to unsanitary conditions and further health risks.

Anyone who didn’t experience the city’s 1996 flood has surely heard the stories and seen the photos. High flows in Ashland Creek during the flood caused extensive damage to our city’s water treatment plant, disrupting the entire water supply.

To this day, the location of the treatment plant — constructed in 1948 and reaching the end of its useful life, along with the fact that it is located in a steep, narrow canyon — places it at a significant risk of flooding, landslides, earthquakes and, especially, wildfire.

Fortunately, there is a roadmap for us to follow because of the foresight and dedication of Ashland leadership, staff and many talented citizens over the last half century.

Though we could go as far back to the late 1960s, just over a decade ago is a reasonable place to start.

In April 2012, the Ashland City Council adopted the 2012 Comprehensive Water Master Plan as recommended by an ad-hoc water advisory commission after more than two years of intensive research, collaboration and hard work.

Additionally, the 2020 water master plan update can be found here.

We will dive into the great work of the water commission along with a clear account of timelines, council decision points over the past several years, and how all of this will come together from a financial and logistical standpoint as well as how all of this affects each of us in my next Council Corner article.

For now, I’d encourage anyone who is interested to click on the several links above to learn more about how we manage our most critical resource.

Until then, I’ll skip to the end of the book that I previously quoted and share the following insight: “Whether it’s making sure there is quality water in your community; assessing your needs and values; not becoming complacent; not being afraid to try new things; cooperating; not living in the past; not being short-sighted; and of course taking responsibility in and for your community — if you can face all these challenges and overcome them, then you can avoid the pitfalls and traps that kill communities.”

This is exactly why we have master plans.

Email Ashland City Councilor Jeff Dahle at [email protected]. Email letters to the editor and viewpoint submissions to [email protected].