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Regional water providers work every day to prepare for emergencies, adapt to changing conditions, and secure long-term reliable drinking water supplies. Here in the greater Portland metro area, water providers have a long-standing history of cooperation, coordination, and partnership through a group called the Regional Water Providers Consortium*.

“We are stronger and more resilient when we work together,” said Rebecca Geisen, Managing Director of the Regional Water Providers Consortium. “Over the past 20 years, we have learned a great deal about the importance of partnerships. It has taken a lot of effort, but the result is that water providers in our region actively work together to share resources and learn from one another. This work, and these relationships, are important in our daily work and crucial in an emergency.” 

In February 2021, Oregonians experienced the most destructive freezing rain event in 40 years and over 350,000 residents lost power. Water providers were able to keep water flowing during and after the storms despite the challenges posed by the power outages. Water systems rely on electrical power to operate water pump stations that move water through the pipelines, and power equipment in water treatment and filtration plants.

"Through partnerships and connections between individual systems, we were able to supply drinking water during the emergency and get water where it was needed. Without those partnerships and cooperation among fellow water providers, challenges from the storm would have been much more significant for customers who were already suffering from power outages and other storm impacts,” said Todd Heidgerken, General Manager of Clackamas River Water. 

This was not the first time that water providers supported one another through emergencies. In fact, the Consortium and its members have a long history of working together to help each other and collectively prepare for, respond to, and recover from emergencies. Water providers also aided one another during the September 2020 wildfires and sent water distribution trucks to Salem in 2018 during their water quality event that caused the city to distribute emergency water to its customers for much of the summer. This month, the Consortium is organizing an interactive webinar with its 25 water provider members to debrief on lessons learned through the past 20+ months of the COVID-19 pandemic and other emergencies that occurred. 

Do your part to help make the region more resilient by getting prepared for emergencies 

To be more resilient as a region, we all need to prepare together. Start your emergency prep with a FREE kit from the Regional Water Providers Consortium, available in English and Spanish. Kits are available to customers of Consortium members, through December 2021 or while supplies last. Limit one per household. Each kit contains information about accessing and storing emergency water, disaster sanitation stickers, and a one-gallon emergency water bag. Order yours today at www.regionalh2o.org. 

Get more preparedness information at PublicAlerts.org where you can sign up for free, local emergency alerts via text, email, or voice message. The website also includes detailed information about building an emergency kit including a toilet, disaster planning, and ways to get involved.

*About the Consortium: The Regional Water Providers Consortium provides leadership in the planning, management, stewardship, and resiliency of drinking water in the Portland, OR metropolitan region. The Consortium is comprised of 25 members which are located in Clackamas, Columbia, Multnomah, Washington, and Yamhill Counties. Find out more about the Consortium, its members, and its work in emergency preparedness, water conservation, and regional coordination at regionalh2o.org. Facebook @RegionalH2O, Twitter @ConserveH2Org, and Instagram @RegionalH2O.