The City of Ashland will provide a project update and host a listening session on the Ashland Canal Piping Project on Thursday, January 31, 2019, at Southern Oregon University in the Stevenson Union 3rd floor Gallery Room. Presentation will start at 5:30 p.m. followed by a question and answer period. 

The primary focus of the meeting is to present a draft of preliminary piping alternatives and gather community feedback and public comment to inform the Ashland City Council. Areas of focus will include vegetation and wildlife impacts and E. coli bacteria analysis. 

The City is considering a project to pipe approximately two miles of the city’s portion of the Ashland Canal between Starlight Place and Terrace Street. The project will improve water quality in Ashland Creek, the outlet of the Ashland Canal, and minimize water losses in the canal itself due to seepage and evaporation.  

The canal piping project is part of a larger, proactive plan to efficiently manage water resources and improve water quality in the city of Ashland. 

The City’s 2012 Water Master Plan, vetted by the Ashland Water Advisory Committee and adopted by the City Council, identified the need to pipe the Ashland Canal. “This is part of our commitment to delivering a reliable supply of high-quality water to our customers and community for decades to come" Public Works Director, Paula Brown said. 

More information on the piping project, and the preliminary engineering report can be found at www.ashland.or.us/ashlandcanal.