Lane County outlines growing strain on water and sanitation special utility districts, cites new state law easing mergers

Lane County staff on July 9 told the Board of County Commissioners that hundreds of small, often fee‑based special utility districts that provide water and sanitation services are under financial and operational strain, and that the county is weighing a set of options — from technical assistance to standing up a county utility service district — to prevent public‑health and community collapse.

Jason Harris, Lane County’s community economic development manager, presented the overview and told commissioners the county focused on the roughly 117 utility districts that serve residential communities. “Special districts, they are effectively a form of local government, when there is no local government in place,” Harris said, noting most districts rely almost exclusively on service fees and that only seven of the county’s more than 400 special utility districts have a tax levy function.

Harris said the Oregon Health Authority lists 320 permitted water districts in Lane County; of those, about 98 are residential serving, about 122 are commercial, 47 serve parks and campgrounds, 41 serve schools and churches, and 12 are city systems. He said there…