The Eugene Water & Electric Board will hold a grand opening ceremony Saturday for its new emergency water at the Lane Events Center, which will allow EWEB to provide water to 24,000 customers in the case of a disaster that takes drinking water systems online.

It will be the fifth emergency water station operated by EWEB, and the first in the south and central neighborhoods of Eugene.

The grand opening will run from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the events center, at 796 W. 13th Ave. in Eugene, where local officials will be visiting to discuss the importance of emergency water stations.

Residents who visit can receive a free three-gallon emergency water container, view how the station works and learn more about preparing for emergencies.

Officials visiting will include: EWEB Commissioner John Barofsky who represents Wards 2 and 3, Lane County Commissioner Laurie Trieger, and Eugene Mayor Lucy Vinis.

In the case of a disaster taking out normal water stations, the emergency station will be able to dispense 85 gallons per minute from an underground well, serving up to 24,000 people who live nearby. Those disasters could include earthquakes, hazardous material spills on the McKenzie River, severe harmful algal blooms, and wildfires that make the river water untreatable.

When used during those times, residents are required to bring their own disinfected, food-grade containers to fill with two gallons of water per person and per day. The water should also be treated by boiling orchlorination before consuming it.

Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect the correct when the event is ending. It ends at 1 p.m.