Summer activities
Learn, Explore and Protect our water systems this season to celebrate 100 Years of Water Service.
Conservation, community and the value of water
This summer, as we celebrate 100 years of water service, we emphasize the value of Bend’s water services and how you can be a water steward too. 
Do you prefer to learn about history through reading and videos? Or do you need an excuse to get out and explore, see new things and talk to people face-to-face? Or, are you the kind of person who likes to take action to protect our precious water systems?
Whichever you are, we have something for you! Engage with our water system in one or all of the following ways, let us know you did, and every time you participate you can enter a drawing to win prizes like water-saving devices for your home, T-shirts, mugs and more !
- Learn about where Bend’s water comes from, how it’s treated, and the people behind the system.
- Explore the places and facilities that make our water exceptional.
- Protect our water by taking simple, meaningful actions at home and in the community.
Learn
- We understand the importance of Bend’s exceptional water quality to health, safety and key local businesses, like breweries. For the last 100 years, we’ve maintained and grown this system to serve the growing community. Watch this video about how Bend’s reliable water has shaped our community’s growth and success. Use this form and tell us something you learned and you’ll be entered in a drawing for a prize.
- Our Water Conservation Programs have held overall water use relatively steady despite dramatic growth in our community! You can have a direct impact. Cutting back on watering your lawn is the single most important thing you can do to conserve water. Learn what it means to be WaterWise and what resources are available to help you save water in your landscape. Use this form and tell us something Waterwise you want to do in your life and you’ll be entered in a drawing for a prize.
- We’re always working behind the scenes to make sure you have high-quality water when you need it. Learn what we do to test, treat and protect your drinking water. Check out the Annual Water Quality/Consumer Confidence Report, then use this form and tell us something you learned and you’ll be entered in a drawing for a prize.
- Watch our videos about Erosion Control, an important aspect of construction that reduces sediment runoff to maintain water quality. Use this form to tell us how sediment runoff impacts water quality and you’ll be entered in a drawing for a prize.
Explore
- In Bend, we’re lucky to have some of the best water in the world. Our water comes from the watershed deep in the Deschutes National Forest, with rain and snow high in the Cascade Range recharging our watershed and aquifer. Visit the Bridge Creek watershed, starting at the Deschutes National Forest Tumalo Falls Day Use Area. (No dogs in the Watershed – see map here.) Take a selfie and send it in to be entered in a drawing for prizes. Bonus points if you find and send in a picture of the old water pipes along the Bridge Creek Trail. Be prepared for single-track, steep dirt trails.
- Our water infrastructure is expansive but largely unseen. In Bend, we have 16 reservoirs, 487 miles of water mains and nearly 80,000 service connections. Learn what it takes to deliver this high-quality water from its source to your home with a tour of the City’s Water Filtration Facility — Sign up early by emailing waterservices@bendoregon.gov.
- Our Water Conservation Programs have held overall water use relatively steady despite dramatic growth in our community! You can have a direct impact. Cutting back on watering your lawn is the single most important thing you can do to conserve water. Visit a water-wise garden site to see examples of beautiful, low-water landscapes. Find one near you on this low-water demonstration garden interactive map. Take a selfie in one of the gardens, and send it in to be entered in a drawing for prizes.
- Reimagine your landscape and get inspired by local native landscape experts at the 6th Annual WaterWise Landscape Field Day at Hollinshead Park. Take a selfie of yourself at the event and send it in to be entered in a drawing for prizes.
- Stroll along the Old Mill Walking Tour, starting at 680 SW Powerhouse Dr., to see examples of site designs that help improve water quality. These are things that reduce runoff and prevent pollutants in the Deschutes River and our underground drinking water resources. This guide provides an approximately three-mile walking tour of sites that exist in harmony with nature. Take a selfie of yourself along the route, and send it in to be entered in a drawing for prizes.
Protect
- Join the Deschutes River Cleanup – Upper Deschutes Watershed Council on July 11. There are several clean-up sites in Bend. Send in a photo of your registration and you’ll be entered in a drawing for a prize.
- At home, use the WaterSense “Find it, Flag it, Fix it” checklist to check for irrigation system leaks to ensure you’re not wasting water. Cutting back on watering your lawn is the single most important thing you can do to conserve water.
- We have tools and programs to help you conserve water and save money. The City provides rebates on irrigation equipment as well as household appliances if you want to retrofit your home! Investigate and consider what residential rebates offered by the City might help you select devices that save water and money over time. Use this form and tell us which rebate would be helpful to you, and you’ll be entered in a drawing for a prize.
- Help mark storm drains in your neighborhood with decals to identify where roads drain into the waterways, to help prevent water pollution. Get kits from Water Services by contacting stormwater@bendoregon.gov and
you’ll be entered to win a prize.
- We’re using new technology to pinpoint leaks and make repairs, reducing impacts to you and increasing our system’s efficiency. Sign up for WaterSmart, City software that helps you monitor your daily water use, receive alerts and possibly stop costly leaks and more! Everyone who signs up will be entered to win prizes.
