Letter to the Editor

I am a homeowner on Leaburg Lake, President of the McKenzie Chamber of Commerce, Correspondence Secretary for the McKenzie ClearWater Coalition, and a Broker for Windermere Real Estate Lane County. I wear many hats, but I am only representing myself in this letter.

I have been contacted by many folks who are extremely upset with the thought that EWEB would even consider taking out the EWEB/Leaburg Dam which would result in the loss of Leaburg Lake.

Leaburg Lake is a huge tourist attraction, hundreds of people a week enjoy boating, rafting, fishing, and paddle boarding on the lake. It also has the only Handi-Cap fishing area that I am aware of on the entire river. The Leaburg Fish hatchery depends on water from the lake.

The primary economy of the McKenzie Recreational Valley is based on tourism. If tourism goes away businesses will close. If businesses close property values will decrease, and homeowners will sell. If homeowners leave the area, who is going to pay EWEB’s electric bills?

The McKenzie has been through so much the past two years with the Holiday Farm Fire and COVID it has really affected businesses. We can’t do more damage to this Recreational Valley and all the folks who come here to enjoy life for a while~

On another note, EWEB keeps saying they think long-term. Well, about 10 years ago they spent millions of dollars repairing the roll gates on EWEB/Leaburg Dam. If you take the dam out, think of all the millions of dollars of your electrical customers you just wasted.

Save Leaburg Lake, Contact EWEB at 541-685-7539, and then take the survey online at eweb.org/leaburgpubliccomment

Thank you

Nadine Scott