The existing facilities alone cannot fully meet future needs for Eugene or Springfield. Both were built before the risks of the Cascadia Subduction Zone Earthquake were fully known. While each utility has invested in upgrades, the existing facilities cannot be fully retrofitted to withstand a major earthquake. There are also broader system considerations, including future demand, operational flexibility, and the need for geographic redundancy, that make it impractical to rely on these facilities alone. The new treatment plants proposed by both utilities would be built to modern seismic standards, adding more capacity and two earthquake-ready facilities to the region, significantly increasing local resiliency.
