Flying rock and debris from blast damages Southeast Eugene house

EWEB halts East 40th project during investigation

‘We don’t yet know why this incident occurred’

Dear East 40th Neighbors,

On Nov. 2, EWEB’s contractor conducted a controlled underground blast at the project site. An incident occurred during the blast which resulted in flying rock and debris.

While there were no injuries, a house adjacent to the construction site sustained minor damage to its siding.

Immediately following the incident, EWEB suspended all work at the site.

There is an investigation underway to determine what happened, why it happened and what the contractor can do to make sure it doesn’t happen again.

Although blasting is performed through a professional subcontractor, EWEB takes this incident very seriously and we are committed to doing our part to maintain a safe and well-managed worksite, and to protect the safety of our customers. EWEB’s project manager was on-site at the time of the incident. The immediate response was:

1. Safety – check on neighbors who were in the area when the incident occurred.
2. Cease work – contractors were instructed to stop all work on the site.

What we know:

This was not supposed to happen. Underground controlled blasting is a common infrastructure construction method that involves extensive safety measures to contain debris and keep people and structures safe.

Safety is our #1 priority. EWEB will not allow work to continue until a full investigation is complete and the contractor provides full assurances that safety measures are in place to prevent this type of incident from occurring again.

What we don’t yet know:

Why this incident occurred. The investigation will provide a cause for the incident.

The vibration and sound measurements of the blast. The contractor will prepare an analysis of seismograph data to verify the vibration and sound measurements.

We will keep neighbors posted as we learn more.

If you have questions or input, please don’t hesitate to reach out to the project team at 541-685-7899 or water.storage@eweb.org. Emails sent to this address will reach:

Laura Farthing, Project Manager/Senior Civil Engineer
Jen Connors, Communications Supervisor
Jeannine Parisi, Customer Relationship Manager
Wally McCullough, Water Engineering Supervisor