Here is something most people do not know about Klamath Falls: it sits on top of one of the most active geothermal resources in the country. While most of the geothermal wells are in the downtown area, the neighborhood known as Hot Springs and at Oregon Tech, it can be found in other areas in the basin.
My most recent encounter with geothermal in an atypical area started with a well log. When this domestic water well was drilled, the water temperature came back at 80 degrees. For comparison, most wells in this region run in the 50s. So finding water that warm means its tapped into something geothermal, even in spots that aren’t anywhere near the well-known geothermal areas downtown.
So why is Klamath Falls sitting on all this heat in the first place? It comes down to geology. We’re on the edge of the Cascade volcanic arc, and the basin is cut through with fault lines that let heat from deep in the earth rise up closer to the surface. That’s the same geologic setup that feeds Crater Lake’s volcanic history, and it’s why this area has been a geothermal hotspot for thousands of years.
Downtown, that heat has been put to work for decades. Klamath Falls has one of the oldest municipal geothermal heating districts in the country — buildings, sidewalks, even a community pool are heated using geothermal wells. OIT has 3 geothermal wells that are utilized to operate the campus. But what that well log tells us is that this resource isn’t just confined to downtown. It is spread out under the basin in ways people do not always realize.
So what does that mean if you are buying a home or relocating your business to Klamath Falls? A handful of properties around Klamath Falls have their own geothermal wells and some are on shared wells between a few properties, and if you find one, it can be a real advantage. Geothermal heat means dramatically lower utility bills, since you are not paying for hot water or heat in the winter. Some properties use it to heat greenhouses, which opens up options for year-round gardening or even small-scale growing operations. It is just a cool piece of what makes this area unique, we are living on top of a natural resource that most places don’t have.
.