City Water - What's The Source?
Where do we get our water?
Willamette River
The City's primary source of water is the Willamette River. The City has three surface water rights on the Willamette. During peak water use season in the summer, the Willamette River is the primary source of City water.
Rock Creek Watershed & Corvallis Forest
The City's secondary source is the Rock Creek watershed, and the City has five surface water rights within it. The watershed is located on Marys Peak. The watershed contains the Corvallis Forest, managed by the City, as well as portions of Siuslaw National Forest, which is managed by the United States Forest Service. The Corvallis Forest and the watershed are generally closed to the public to protect the City's water supply. Read more about the Corvallis Forest and it's important role in protecting and filtering the water we drink here. Read more about the Rock Creek Watershed and what a watershed is, here. The Rock Creek watershed provides around half of the City's water supply during the winter. During the summer, however, when stream levels are lower and water demand is higher, the Willamette River provides most of the City's water.
The City also has two groundwater right certificates and additional claims for surface and groundwater, however, these sources are not currently used by the City for various reasons. Please see the Water Management and Conservation Plan (WMCP) for additional information if interested.
From nature to tap - where is our water processed?
The City has two water treatment plants. They are called the Taylor Water Treatment Plan and the Rock Creek Water Treatment Plant. The Taylor Water Treatment Plant intake is on the Willamette River, and after the water is treated, it enters the water distribution system and heads straight to your tap. The Rock Creek Water Treatment Plant treats the water diverted from the Rock Creek Watershed, and that water ends up at the water distribution system in Baldy Reservoir. The City regularly audits the water systems, tests and maintains meters, and detects areas within the system that might need maintenance, all to make sure that the system is running as efficiently and effectively as possible. The City releases a Consumer Confidence Report on an annual basis that gives additional information about water quality, water quality testing, and other details about the City drinking water supply.
Additional Resources
You can read the Water Management and Conservation Plan (WMCP) for additional information on the City's water sources and water rights.
You can also read the Consumer Confidence Report, released annually, for additional information about water quality and testing. The Consumer Confidence Report is an interactive online document to explore. The current (for the year 2023) version can be found HERE, and the longer online version of the report can be found HERE. Previous years versions of the report are posted HERE.
