Great article Diane Dietz!
We all agree- bringing the millrace back to life, and connecting this to the EWEB-City Hall project and the new riverside UO science development is both an exciting  vision and  a practical program. 
 Three thoughts   1) Historically,  this was important to both manufacturing as well as the UO, and a century ago this was also the site of the home of Eugene's first black homeowner, Wiley Griffon;
 2)  The illustration shows a lot of concrete on the banks, lets' note what happened at North Carolina  State to improve their stream: "The renovation involved recontouring the banks, planting native flora — and breaking up a parking lot built over 235 feet of its length (permanently removing 56 parking spots)."
3) Springfield is showing what can be done, and Willamette U in Salem turned  their  millrace from a muddy eyesore in to an attractive, healthy campus attraction.
Now lets' find the leadership and financing, without arguing over it for another century.