Eugene Volunteers to Map Public Restrooms, Sanitation Access Across Lane County

Sarah Koski stood outside a Portland Loo near the Eugene Riverfront on March 10, inspecting the freestanding steel restroom that takes its name from the city where its design originated. As Lane Transit District's community resource liaison, she is leading Project Sanitation Justice, a volunteer-driven effort to map every public restroom, handwashing station, and water fountain in Eugene and, eventually, across Lane County.

The project launched in January 2026 and has since grown into a coalition that includes Lane County Housing and Community Action, Occupy Medical, the Lane County Lived Experience Advisory Group for Unhoused Engagement (LEAGUE), Lane County Public Health, Neighbors Feeding Neighbors, the University of Oregon, the City of Eugene, and Lane County's Homelessness and Poverty Board.

Volunteers are collecting field data at each site, recording cleanliness, ADA accessibility, lighting, ventilation, structural stability, and whether facilities are stocked with soap, menstrual products, sharps disposal containers, and ADA-compliant handrails. That data will then be interpreted and presented to city and county officials to guide infrastructure improvements.

"This isn't just a data project," Koski said. "It's a justice project. And it's being led by the people most impacted."

The project is modeled on research by Dr. Megan Walsh Carroll at San Diego State University, who launched a public restroom study in 2020 examining sanitation access along transit routes. Koski described the Eugene effort as rooted in that work, undertaken with Carroll's blessing and guidance.

Blair Hickok, who now helps lead Neighbors Feeding Neighbors, spent months living in Washington Jefferson Park without access to a working bathroom or running water. Her experience reflects what thousands of Lane County residents without stable housing face, and it shaped the project's emphasis on lived experience as a guiding force.

Koski has been deliberate about framing the project beyond homelessness. "This is for everybody — rich, poor, housed, unhoused," she said. "If it's seen only as a homelessness issue, it may not be prioritized, but sanitation access impacts families, seniors, tourists, and anyone navigating the city."

A volunteer identified only as Niles described the ambition plainly: "Once we capture Eugene, we want to move into Springfield and hopefully the surrounding communities like Cottage Grove. We want to gather that data, interpret it, and present it to the county or city so they can use it to improve infrastructure." Koski has also named Veneta as a planned next destination alongside Springfield.

Beyond the mapping work, the project will include community forums and a storytelling initiative designed to amplify the experiences of people navigating Eugene without reliable sanitation access.

Anyone interested in volunteering can contact Koski directly at Sarah.Koski@ltd.org.