The Echo Mountain Complex wildfire ignited in Lincoln County on Labor Day weekend in 2020, destroying about 400 homes in and around the Otis community. Hundreds of families were left with no place to live.
Most properties were in unincorporated neighborhoods without access to public water and sewer utilities. Even homes that weren’t completely destroyed had damaged wells and septic systems. Without drinking water and functional septic systems residents weren’t allowed to return to their homes.
In response, in August 2021, Lincoln County Commissioner Kaety Jacobson contacted Chrissy Lucas-Woodruff, Oregon State University Extension groundwater protection specialist and outreach coordinator. Jacobson knew Lucas-Woodruff had many years of experience doing educational outreach about domestic wells and septic systems in the Willamette Valley.
Jacobson wanted Lucas-Woodruff’s help organizing distribution of $500,000 from Lincoln County that was to be used for well and septic system repairs and reimbursements for Echo Mountain fire survivors. Lucas-Woodruff was asked to help create a program that would include an application process to distribute the funds as personal reimbursements and contractor payments
Lucas-Woodruff quickly put together an application form that would help prioritize applicant needs. Some homeowners were uninsured and had made no progress on starting to repair these crucial systems; others were underinsured but had managed to make repairs and would benefit from reimbursement. Utilities such as wells and septic systems are frequently not covered by insurance in disasters like wildfires, but those utilities must be functional before the rebuilding process can begin.
Lucas-Woodruff contacted licensed contractors in the region to see if they were willing to work with the county on a case-by-case basis. Landowners would choose a contractor who agreed to set up quotes, complete the project and bill the county directly for the work rather than the homeowners. Lucas-Woodruff built a list of contractors who were willing to participate and shared the list with applicants still in the first stages of rebuilding.
As a result of Lucas-Woodruff’s work, 110 applications to the program came in from August through December 2021. Sixty projects were completed with payments totaling $300,000 for replacements, repairs and reimbursements for septic and well systems. Lincoln County has received an additional legislative promise for $2.5 million additional funds to continue the program through 2024.