State Agencies and Klamath County are working together to provide as many as 360 large water tanks to homes with dry and/or failing wells. The individual tanks, which will be provided free of charge to those who have reported their dry and/or failing wells to the Klamath Watermaster and the wells have been verified dry and/or failing, are funded by Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS). Water is expected to be delivered by a service contracted through ODHS on a weekly basis until the end of October. The service is expected to begin shortly and tanks are expected to begin arriving this week. Due to supply chain issues, not all tanks will come at once. Those impacted should wait for the Watermaster’s Office to contact them when their tank is available for pickup or delivery. Tanks will be distributed based on reporting order.
“Our mass care role during emergencies includes the provision of water. Klamath County requested assistance in providing water to homes whose wells had run dry. We were able to secure 38 water tanks from a firm in Oklahoma. The remaining tanks need to be manufactured because we are not the only state seeking tanks to address the lack of water due to drought.” stated Micah Goettle of ODHS.
“The drought’s impact across the nation revealed few options for water tanks,” said Ed Flick, Oregon’s Mass Care Coordinator and Director of the ODHS Emergency Management Unit. “The first load of tanks was shipped from a firm in the mid-west. Additional tanks are being manufactured in Oregon and Washington and will be delivered as soon as possible.”
State Agencies included in this project are ODHS, Oregon Emergency Management, Oregon Water Resources Department (OWRD), and Oregon Regional Solutions/Governor's Office. The City of Klamath Falls is also joining Klamath County in this emergency effort. The effort is also supported by volunteers from Klamath County CERT.
Individuals eligible for a tank will be notified by the Watermaster’s Office when they can pick the tank up. Tanks can be picked up at the Klamath County Road Department at 6100 Wesgo Drive.
Those impacted should follow the County website and County social media platforms at www.klamathcounty.org for more information and updates.
Reports of impacted wells must be filed at OWRD's website: https://go.usa.gov/xFbW3 or by calling the Watermaster at 541-883-4182.