EWEB draining Leaburg Canal

Maintenance work also planned for Walterville

The Eugene Water & Electric Board began dewatering the Leaburg Power Canal on Saturday morning, April 26, to perform maintenance on the power plant, canal and fish screen.

The shutdown of the Leaburg generating facility and power canal is expected to last about a week. During the shutdown, EWEB will divert very little water from the McKenzie River into the canal, which will cause the river level to rise downstream of the canal’s mouth.

During the re-watering period, expected to begin on or around May 3, the river level will gradually drop as more water is diverted into the canal.

The utility will complete similar repairs to the Walterville power plant, fish screen and canal beginning in mid-June.