Water Storage Improvement Projects
Access to clean water is vital to our community.
EWEB is hard at work making sure safe, reliable water continues to flow even as critical infrastructure ages and new challenges arise. In the next decade, we plan to construct new water storage facilities near 40th Ave. and Donald St. and replace the water storage systems at EWEB's College Hill and Hawkins Hill sites. The projects will be built to seismic and contemporary operating standards, providing more than 40 million gallons of resilient, safe water storage.
Dear East 40th Neighbors,
For the past several months, EWEB staff has been working with the City of Eugene to determine permitting requirements for the new water storage project at East 40th Ave.

We recently received the City's determination, an important step in bringing clarity to the construction sequence and timeline.

The City Planning Department determined that construction of public water storage at the East 40th site is an allowed use, and does not require Planned Unit Development (PUD) approval. While the project still needs to meet certain land use and development standards, the process is more straightforward and less time-consuming than a PUD.  

This decision creates more certainty for the timeline moving forward, particularly as it relates to sequencing construction of water storage projects at East 40th and the College Hill sites.  

As a reminder, the existing College Hill reservoir must be substantially rehabilitated or decommissioned by the end of 2023. So our goal is to complete the design and construction of one 7.5 MG tank at East 40th Ave. and bring that facility online by mid-2023. With the new tank in operation, we will then proceed with removing the existing reservoir at College Hill and constructing a new 7.5 MG tank at the College Hill site.  

Here is high level summary of the major East 40th project milestones:

Remainder of 2020 – early 2021:
  • Detailed tank design and site layout
  • Landscape design and public input process

Mid-2021:
  • Begin earthwork, site prep and construction

Mid-2023:
  • Complete construction, landscaping and fencing
Initial tank design and layout
This is the same preliminary layout we shared with you in April.

The plan places the tanks in a location that preserves the large, healthy white oaks on the northwest side of the property.

As we complete the next phase of detailed tank design, t he position of the tank may shift slightly, but we don't expect it to change drastically.
We remain committed to retaining and restoring as much natural open space as possible at the site. In particular, we plan to retain much of the Douglas fir habitat along the south ridge, and invest in enhancing the Oak habitat on the northwest side of the property.

Some trees will need to be removed on the east side, including a few of the large firs. However, EWEB will try to save as many trees as possible and will replant based on a community-inspired landscape design.
We heard your input
As engineers continue working on detailed tank design and site layout, we remain mindful of the input we have heard from neighbors:

  • Top priorities for neighbors are: (1) preserving natural areas/habitat, and (2) safety and security
  • Most neighbors prefer minimal improvements to limit visitors to the site
  • Improvements with the most neighbor support are:
  • Enhanced oak savannah
  • Walking trails
  • Pollinator-friendly native plants
  • The biggest concerns for neighbors are:
  • Attractive nuisance
  • Construction impacts
  • Nature and wildlife impacts
What's next?
  • A Southeast Neighbors (SEN) meeting/presentation is tentatively planned for summer (date TBD and COVID-19 dependent).
  • Surveyors will mark trees to be removed and tank boundaries in the fall.
  • We expect to hold another neighborhood meeting/presentation in late 2020, to collect input on the next phase of landscape renderings.
How to stay informed and involved
Contact the Project Team:
Call 541-685-7899
 
Project information and updates: eweb.org/waterstorage