Lane County, Oregon: drinking water report. Lane County in western Oregon includes Eugene and Springfield, with a population of about 385,000.
Lane County in western Oregon includes Eugene and Springfield, with a population of about 385,000. The Eugene Water & Electric Board draws from the McKenzie River, one of the cleanest drinking water sources in the Pacific Northwest. The McKenzie originates in the Cascade Range and flows through largely undeveloped forest land before reaching the treatment intake. Springfield Utility Board draws from the Middle Fork of the Willamette River and groundwater.
The 2020 Holiday Farm Fire burned over 170,000 acres in the McKenzie River watershed, destroying the community of Blue River and significantly affecting source water quality. According to EWEB's 2024 water quality report, turbidity spikes during winter storms remain elevated compared to pre-fire levels as the burned watershed continues to shed sediment. The increased organic matter loading has also raised disinfection byproduct formation potential.
The EPA's UCMR5 data shows PFAS at low levels in the Eugene system. The Eugene Airport has used AFFF firefighting foam, and the Oregon DEQ confirmed PFAS detections in groundwater near the airport. A 2024 Oregon Health Authority assessment found one water system in the county exceeding Oregon's health advisory level of 30 ppt for PFOS.
The McKenzie River's baseline quality is excellent, but post-fire watershed recovery will take years. During heavy winter rains, turbidity spikes can temporarily stress the treatment system.
Check your water for current monitoring data. For post-fire disinfection byproducts, a carbon block filter is effective. For PFAS, reverse osmosis adds broader protection. Our water filter guide covers both wildfire-related and industrial contaminants. Pull your detailed report for seasonal data, and visit our Oregon page for statewide context.
Drinking water is one exposure route. These federal datasets also cover Lane County, OR.
The EPA places Lane County, OR in Zone 3 - the EPA's lowest-risk category, with a predicted average indoor radon level below 2 pCi/L. Zone maps predict an area's radon potential from geology and existing indoor readings; they say nothing about a specific house. Testing is the only way to know your own level.
57% of homes in Lane County, OR were built before 1980, and 13% before 1950. Residential lead paint was banned in 1978, so housing age is the strongest available proxy for lead-paint exposure. This describes the county's housing stock, not any one home.
Modelled annual fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) in Lane County, OR averages 9.1 µg/m³, above the EPA's annual standard of 9 µg/m³. These are CDC modelled county estimates rather than readings from a specific monitor.
How radon zones work · Air quality by county · Lead exposure guide
Across 73 public water systems serving Lane County, OR with EPA lead testing on record, 7 (9.6%) reported a 90th-percentile lead result above the EPA's 15 ppb action level, and the median is 3.9 ppb. 35 water systems serving Lane County, OR carry a health-based EPA Safe Drinking Water Act violation.
| Most-cited violation type | Systems affected |
|---|---|
| Lead and Copper Rule | 16 |
| Revised Total Coliform Rule | 10 |
| Surface Water Treatment Rule | 8 |
| Ground Water Rule | 5 |
| Arsenic | 4 |
Source: EPA Lead and Copper Rule 90th-percentile tap sampling and EPA SDWIS Safe Drinking Water Act enforcement records, aggregated from the public water systems serving this county. Figures are counts of water systems, not a test of any individual home or tap.