Measure 15-234: Implementing Ashland's Water Master Plan

Over a decade ago, the Ashland City Council adopted the 2012 Water Master Plan, a comprehensive set of improvements to the city’s water system to help address aging infrastructure, the increasing threat of natural disasters due to climate change, wildfire fighting needs, and proven vulnerabilities in the location of the existing water treatment plant (where drinking water from Ashland Creek and the TID is purified). Several important improvements from that plan have been implemented, including the diversification of Ashland’s water supply from 1 source, Ashland Creek, to 3 (adding treated water from Medford and untreated water from the TID system). However, the key piece of that plan, building a new water treatment plant (WTP) to replace 75-year old infrastructure, has yet to be completed. Years of delays in determining the safest location, figuring out the complex financial picture, generating engineering plans, vetting with the public, and finally getting through the pandemic, have finally presented the City of Ashland with a good opportunity to make needed infrastructure upgrades.

The plan to build a new WTP has been vetted by multiple engineering studies, 3 different Public Works Directors, many public discussions, elected officials, and a citizen committee called the Ashland Water Advisory Committee. Planning and multiple engineering studies have been completed to begin construction of a new WTP, and fortunately, the City increased water usage rates years ago in order to build up a Water Fund, which currently contains over $18 million. In March, 2024, the current City Council authorized the City to take advantage of a special federal program set up for municipalities like Ashland to finance water system infrastructure.

Unfortunately, a month later, a small group of individuals stopped progress on this financing by gathering enough signatures to put the issue on the November general election ballot. That measure, 15-234, states:

Should the City be authorized to issue up to $75,000,000 in revenue bonds to finance construction of water system improvements?

In the November General Election Voter's Pamphlet, you'll find 3 arguments against Measure 15-234, written and supported by the same 2 people. Neither of these people have been involved in the last decade or more of engineering research, public works policy, or community debate. And neither of them have any expertise with Ashland's water system.

By contrast, you'll also find 4 arguments in favor of Measure 15-234, from over 20 experts and community leaders across the spectrum, including both of Ashland's elected state legislators, and the former mayor of Shady Cove, Lena Richardson. Richardson provides a cautionary tale from her town after residents there refused to spend money on water infrastructure.

Why would anybody be against safeguarding Ashland's drinking water? The stated reason is 'debt.' Ironically, all cities across America use bonds and government programs to finance large infrastructure needs. But calling it 'debt' adds fear to the equation, even though Ashland has a fantastic set of options to pay for a new WTP and other water infrastructure needs. Nothing has been finalized yet, and the City just recently announced new grant opportunities which might pay for the bulk of the water infrastructure needs. For example, by combining money in the Water Fund with state and federal grants, modest water rate increases over a span of 6 years, and federal financing, Ashland could pay for all the needs in the current Water Master Plan. Current estimates on the costs of these needs range from $55M to $75M, and those construction costs go up every day that Ashland fails to do the work.

Some opponents of Measure 15-234 have used a wide variety of tactics to persuade unsuspecting voters from supporting it, including cherry-picking data, leaving out data, twisting the truth, and straw-man arguments. They've even proposed their own water system infrastructure plans without having the knowledge, data, or experience to produce such plans. Contrary to claims, the current 75-year old infrastructure is not protecting Ashland's water system adequately. Keeping the current WTP is not a good long-term investment for Ashland because of the demonstrated dangers of flooding, rock slides, wildfire, toxic algal blooms, and earthquakes at the current location. Millions of dollars would have to be spent putting bandaids on the current plant, and all that money would be wasted in a relatively short period when the City was forced to build a new plant anyway. Dangers from climate change are real, as we saw in Florida in the fall of 2024 when 2 back-to-back hurricanes caused unprecedented flooding. If climate change or the Cascadia Subduction Zone brought a natural disaster to the old WTP, Ashland might not have drinking water for months, and costs for emergency building would skyrocket. Medford's water can't solve this problem for us. Ashland's water system has already been knocked out twice in the past 50 years, once for about 2 weeks, and over a month earlier. We were extremely lucky in 1997's flood, and there have been 10 other major floods on Ashland Creek since European settlement.

Should Ashland be investing in its water security, after utilizing the best science and engineering available, after over a decade of public debate, after weighing the opinions with public works experts, and after finding the most cost-effective, efficient way to safeguard Ashland's drinking water?

We recommend YES to Measure 15-234!

Check out the City of Ashland's archive of information about a new WTP and other water infrastructure needs.