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Medford Water Collaborates With Forest Service to Support Fire Resiliency Project
Monday, May 16, 2022
The High Cascade Ranger District of the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest (Forest Service) is proposing a vegetation and watershed restoration project to help sustain the spring-fed water supply for the Big Butte Springs Municipal Watershed, the primary source of drinking water for the 140,000 residents of the Rogue Valley.
The proposed project, called the Snowy Butte Landscape Restoration Project, will ensure fuels treatment work in collaboration with Medford Water to support forest health and fire resiliency on over 27,000 acres of the 57,000-acre watershed.
The South Obenchain Fire of 2020 came within three miles of Medford Water’s Big Butte Springs collection and treatment facilities. Damage to this infrastructure from wildfire could disrupt the main supply of water for the valley. “Of equal importance, the Snowy Butte Project will protect this pristine source of drinking water, and could lead to increased spring flows,” added Craig Harper, Watershed Administrator for Medford Water.
Treatment work will include non-commercial and commercial activities, habitat improvements for beaver and other species on 225 acres, restoration of 125 acres of meadow, and maintenance of facilities to support recreation and protect water quality.
Maintaining forests and meadows are important because this landscape acts as a giant water filter. "The water hits the forest and runs off, a lot of it drains into the ground and then comes out into the spring, so we're hoping that it will help protect the water quality which is pristine," Harper said. "In the Medford area, we have one of the best water supplies in the northwest, and in the country actually."
Medford Water wants to preserve this water supply, and this work is part of our mission to safeguard public health by providing a reliable, high-quality water supply at the best value to our customers.
The Forest Service is currently in the public scoping phase of this project and is requesting input from the public on the potential issues, impacts, and alternatives that should be considered for the analysis and design of the project. To review project information or comment on this project, click here, or visit their website.
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