Baker City urges water conservation as summer supply tightens

Baker City is heading into summer with less water cushion than officials want, and water service specialist Dennis Bachman is urging residents to cut waste before outdoor demand rises. The city’s message is simple: use less now, because every gallon saved helps stretch a supply that depends on snowmelt, reservoirs and a long transmission system.

The city says more than 210 million gallons are stored in Goodrich Reservoir each year, but that reserve is only part of the picture. Baker City also draws from 11 other springs in the Elkhorn Mountain Range, sending water through a 17-mile transmission line before treatment. Two existing basalt groundwater wells can help supplement demand, but officials have made clear that a poor snow year can leave the system with less margin once irrigation and household use climb.

That warning carries more weight after a spring marked by water-line failures. A break on April 1 triggered a boil order that affected about 20% of Baker City’s water connections in south Baker City. A smaller break on May 3 led to another boil order for about 30 customers, mostly businesses. Bachman said the Auburn Avenue leak that April was the biggest he could recall in nearly 24 years with the city, and he estimated it flowed at least 8,000 gallons a minute.

Those repairs are one reason the city is planning more work. In the fiscal year starting July 1, 2026, Baker City expects to spend about $415,000 to replace 1,500 feet of cast-iron and ductile-iron pipe on Carter Street and 500 feet of cast-iron pipe on Campbell Street. The projects are meant to address aging infrastructure that can turn a dry season into a service problem quickly.

The broader drought picture has also tightened. Baker County requested drought-emergency help from the state in February 2026, and Gov. Tina Kotek declared a drought emergency for the county in March. State officials said Oregon’s 2025-26 winter tied with 1934 as the warmest on record, contributing to record-low snowpack and likely impacts to water supply and wildfire risk.

For now, the city is asking residents to do the basics that matter most: water lawns and gardens in the morning or evening to reduce evaporation, shorten showers, fix leaks and use efficient fixtures. Homeowners with irrigation systems are also required to test backflow assemblies every year. If conservation falls short, Baker City will have less room to absorb the next break, the next hot spell or the next surge in demand.