Mapleton Water District

An unincorporated river community in Lane County is reeling from the loss of federal funds meant to repair its failing drinking water system.

The Trump administration’s on-again, off-again federal funding freeze sowed widespread anxiety and confusion across the country and around Oregon. In Mapleton, locals feared a delay in federal grant payments would jeopardize efforts to rebuild their failing water system.

In 2023, damage from a severe winter storm nearly took out the entire water supply system of Mapleton. Recently, the unincorporated community 15 miles east of Florence received a federal grant to make some permanent repairs.