Some residents whose backyards face the Ashland Canal are questioning the city’s plan to pipe the water to improve quality and avoid water loss, saying they enjoy living near the running water.
The canal carries the city’s seasonal irrigation water of roughly 1,369 acre feet from the Talent Irrigation District between April and October.
The Ashland City Council approved a plan in August 2017 to pipe roughly 10,000 lineal feet of the front section of the canal that runs along 78 homes in Ashland to improve the water quality and reduce water contamination, according to meeting’s minutes.
In March, the Public Works Department invited 78 families who live along the water to a forum.
Roughly 30 people attended the afternoon gathering.
“I don’t understand the importance of saving the 30 percent water loss,” said Beth Martin, who has lived by the water for 48 years.
“The water is going into the atmosphere, making the area more pleasant.
Other expenses for the project will be reimbursed through a low interest — 1 percent — loan of $1.3 million from Department of Environmental Quality Clean Water State Revolving Fund, according to minutes of the council meeting on Aug. 1, 2017.
The current phase will continue throughout this year, Smitherman said.
The team is also encouraging residents who live along the canal to contact Public Works for an individual site visit during the current process to work out particular needs or concerns, she said.