The Willamette and McKenzie River Valleys are home to several rural communities without official municipal representation. These communities are unincorporated and financially vulnerable in some ways that cities are not. Lane County government acts as a liaison between its rural communities and resources they need at the State and Federal levels.

Blue River It's been almost a hundred years since this small community has seen a million dollars. By 1912 gold mining had stopped and Lucky Boy Mines reported more than $1 million in area revenue. Almost a century later Blue River residents will benefit from $1 million from the State of Oregon to retrofit an outdated and dangerous well system and to construct a brand new storage tank as a secondary back-up. The Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) will pay for much-needed repairs to a system that hasn't been improved or replaced since 1967. But once construction and reconstruction are complete this community will be able to depend on enough safe and clean water for drinking water, household uses and fire safety.

Mapleton 20 miles upstream from Florence is a humble community along the Siuslaw River. And after 20 years, their deteriorating water treatment plant is ready for mechanical and electrical upgrading, structural repair and redesign for increased water flow. The state-of-the-art water treatment plant will be completed by the end of 2008.

Row River Is Now Officially a Water District! This small community in the Row River Valley will lose water services from the City of Cottage Grove in late 2008. Representing more than 300 homes a small dedicated group of citizens partnered with Lane County C&ED to create a legally recognized 501(c)3 Water District. We at Lane County will apply for the same funding from the State as we did for the Blue River and Mapleton Water Districts. All water systems projects will become the property of the water districts once construction is complete.