Power went out Tuesday morning at Central Point plant, affecting cities of Medford, Phoenix, Talent and others
Ashland.news staff report
Update, Wednesday evening:
All emergency water restrictions put into place Tuesday are lifted, the Medford Water Commission said in a bulletin shortly after 5 p.m. Wednesday. All essential and non-essential water use is permitted, including all indoor and all outdoor usage.
Update, Wednesday afternoon:
Emergency water restrictions put into place Tuesday will remain in place until further notice to preserve water for indoor essential and emergency use, the Medford Water Commission announced Wednesday afternoon.
Not affected are the city of Ashland, which has its own water supply system, and those on private wells or on private water systems.
Customers served by MWC are allowed to use water indoors for drinking, cooking, showering, toilet use, laundry and “other essential indoor water use.”
- Not permitted are outdoor uses, including:
- All irrigation of lawn/turf, gardens, and ornamental plants
- Filling of pools and ponds
- Ornamental fountains that use drinking water and car washing (except at facilities that recycle)
- Construction use, such as non-emergency hydrant use (including device permits) and water main flushing, dust control
- Washing of sidewalks, streets, decks, driveways, buildings, except as necessary for public health/safety
- All other non-essential outdoor water use
Update, Tuesday evening:
Emergency water restrictions put into place early Tuesday for Medford Water Commission customers will remain in place until noon Wednesday, Aug. 27, to allow water levels in reservoirs to return to normal and preserve water for domestic and emergency use, the commission announced in update Tuesday afternoon.
Not affected are the city of Ashland, which has its own water supply system, and those on private wells or on private water systems.
Tuesday’s power failure at MWC treatment plant in Central Point occurred at a point in the electrical system which prevented the use of either utility company power or generator back-up power, according to the update. Pacific Power assisted with de-energizing the treatment plant so that evaluation and repairs to the on-site electric infrastructure could proceed safely.
MWC’s primary Big Butte Springs source remained functional and safe to drink but does not by itself supply enough water to meet summertime usage. During the outage the plant could not supply the additional treated water necessary to meet peak summer demands and mandatory water restrictions were put into place.
Keeping restrictions in place until noon Wednesday will allow the plant to become fully operational and the system to recover to normal levels, according to MWC, which added that water remains safe to drink, and normal indoor domestic water usage for drinking, toilet use, and other public health use is still permitted.
Original report:
A water conservation order went out this morning to residents of the city of Talent and other Rogue Valley cities using water from the Medford Water Commission (MWC) system due to a power outage at its water treatment plant. Not affected are the city of Ashland, which has its own water supply system, and those on private wells or on private water systems.
The Medford Water Commission’s Robert A. Duff Water Treatment Plant in Central Point serves the cities of Medford, Central Point, Eagle Point, Jacksonville, Phoenix and Talent, as well as the unincorporated community of White City.
Through the “TAP” pipeline system connecting Talent, Ashland and Phoenix to the MWC system, Ashland can also receive MWC water on an as-needed basis.
Those in the affected area are asked to immediately restrict non-essential water use to preserve water for domestic use and fire emergencies, including by not doing any outdoor irrigation, or watering of gardens and ornamental plants.
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