DUNES CITY, Ore. — In his home overlooking Siltcoos Lake, Steven DuBois has installed an elaborate filtration system that delivers pristine drinking water throughout the house.
“It works really, really well, and I’m psyched about it,” he said of the water coming out of the system.
But increasingly, it’s the water coming into his filtration system that’s a concern to him and to scores of his neighbors, who all draw their water directly from Siltcoos Lake via a private water system they collectively own.
The system, run as the South Coast Water District by a contracted water management firm, pumps and treats water from Siltcoos Lake for its 250 residents living in 80 homes along the lake’s northern arm.
The water quality from Siltcoos Lake is increasingly questionable, all agree. The shallow lake — the largest along the Oregon Coast — is choked with algae and plant life and hasn’t met federal water standards for years.
Thirsty for another source, the homeowners and their water manager are seeking to draw water instead from neighboring Woahink Lake, which is much deeper and clearer. But their request for access has been turned down by one Woahink homeowners’ association, although another association said it’s more open to the idea.
Now, Siltcoos Lake residents and their water management contractor are turning to state government for financial help to link up to Woahink.
Dunes City officials also are seeking state help to explore ways to improve the health of Siltcoos. The lake is a source of drinking water for other residents who live around it and is home to a threatened population of wild coho salmon.
Brandi Prunty, business manager of Oregon Water Services, which manages South Coast and other small water systems in Lane County, said Woahink’s water quality is “leaps and bounds” above the Siltcoos.
DuBois agreed. “It’s radically different,” he said of the Woahink’s water quality. “The water is very clear.”
For years, the South Coast Water District has dealt with sediment, algae and other plant life in the lake that has clogged its filtration system, reducing the amount of water it can supply, Prunty said.
But the problem has worsened in the past year as the level of the shallow lake, its average depth is about 11 feet, decreased during last year’s drought and still hasn’t recovered.
The low lake level has increased the water temperature of the lake, promoting the growth of weeds and algae. Phosphorus from lawn fertilizers, plus road dust and liquids from septic systems, have fed the growth of the plant life.
The state Department of Environmental Quality, which monitors water quality, has placed the lake on its list of bodies that flunk federal standards for presence of non-native invasive weeds.
In 2007 and 2008, the state health department issued an advisory urging residents not to recreate in or drink water from the lake, due to the presence of a toxic algae.
In late July, a clog in the system’s filtration combined with a break in a water line caused a loss of pressure in the distribution lines.
The system experienced periodic water shortages to some customers for three days, and its managers issued a boil-water advisory to all customers that lasted about a week because of the risk of contamination, Prunty said. Testing found no contamination.
Clean lake a mile away
Less than a half-mile away, Woahink Lake would appear to be an elixir to the system’s water woes.
Although smaller than its neighbor, the lake is deeper — with an average depth of 37 feet — and cleaner with lower levels of algae, according to the DEQ. Water quality, the agency said, has remained good.
Legally, the South Coast Water District could have access to water from Woahink Lake. The city of Dunes City has secured a water right to legally draw water from the lake for sharing with homeowners and other users.
Jamie Mills, the city’s acting administrator, said officials crunched the numbers and found that there’s capacity under the water right to bring the South Coast Water District into the fold.
But the water district would need to run a pipe across private property to reach Woahink Lake, and that permission has not been forthcoming.
The system approached the nearby South Coast Homeowners Association for legal permission to run the pipe through the property but was refused.
Bruce Arnold, the association’s former president, said his group worried about what would happen if the pipe broke or if a swimmer or boater ran into water system equipment in the lake.
“We didn’t want the liability of their line going through our property,” he said.
The current president, Michael Jacobson, was unaware of that request but noted that the lake is “taxed heavily” by existing users who draw from it.
“I would be against sharing my water with people living around Siltcoos Lake,” he said.
Another option for Siltcoos homeowners is to have their water system run a longer line to Woahink through a different neighborhood, the Sunset Cove subdivision.
Steve Burton, president of its homeowners association, said it’s willing to consider the request.
“If the community can come together and work something out to help another part of the community, we should do so,” he said. “Obviously, liability and waivers and all the legal wrangling would need to be addressed.”
Meanwhile, the South Coast Water District is seeking a loan from the state’s economic development agency. The system estimated the capital cost to put a line to Woahink Lake would be $200,000. The system, which is funded by its Siltcoos customers, said it doesn’t have the cash on hand for the project.
Lane County commissioners signaled their support in a Aug. 2 letter, characterizing it as an “urgent situation.”
