The City of Weston

Umatilla County
Request: $128,000

We are seeking grant funding to install a full-service generator at our main city well. Project bids and estimates total in at $425,000. This generator is vital for the City of Weston, Oregon, and the surrounding areas in East Umatilla County. Our local fire service areas extend east to the Union County line along Highway 204 and this whole area all heavily depends on the local rural fire district, EURFR, headquartered in Weston. The fire district is essential for both our community and neighboring towns. Recently, Weston narrowly avoided disaster when a fast-moving wildfire was poised to hit the town and the only thing that saved the town was windstorm halted the Lower Drycreek fire, which burned nearly 6,000 acres in less than 24 hours and was rapidly advancing toward town. In recent years, PPL has begun shutting off power during fires and windstorms. On July 15, 2026, at 7 PM, PPL de-energized the power lines. By 9 PM, our main city well was depleted, leaving us without water to fight the fire. The local fire district office also supports with intergovernmental surrounding communities, including Athena, Adams, Helix, Milton-Freewater, the Umatilla Indian Reservation, Pendleton, Pilot Rock, and Hermiston. Additionally, our well is one of the few in the area that provides water requiring no additional treatment at the wellhead, which is critical during emergencies.

We house the EUFR Fire District and as such we have our 400+ sq. miles of district and intergovernmental agreements with surrounding communities. We provide water to drought-stricken farmers when their wells fail or fail to keep up with summer demands. We also provide drinking water to those who need to fill at our fill station in town for surrounding farms and properties. Towns to the west of Athena, Adams & Helix are supported by our local fire station and the district station located here in Weston. During fires we often are the local hub for water to fight fires.