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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,
We have several updates to share with you.

In this email, you'll find information about:

  • Engineering design of the new storage tanks
  • Plans for an ecological study
  • Upcoming work activities at the site
Engineering design is underway
At the August 4 EWEB Board meeting, Commissioners approved a contract with Murray Smith Associates of Portland, OR for design and engineering-related services for a new 7.5 million-gallon (MG) storage tank on the E. 40th Avenue site.  The consulting services provided as part of this contract include civil, mechanical, and structural engineering services as well as bid and construction period services.  
This phase of work will take approximately seven months and will determine the precise placement of the first storage tank.

As a reminder, the engineering criteria to be used for design and placement of the tanks includes (in no particular order):

  • Elevation - the top of the water surface must be at 607 feet above sea level
  • Proximity to residences - to the extent possible, maximizing distance between tanks and neighbors’ property lines
  • Habitat - limiting impacts to sensitive/special plant communities and wildlife
  • Compatibility – placing tanks in locations and at buried depths to reduce impacts to neighbors’ viewsheds and enable continued public use of the site.
  • Cost - ensuring responsible use of public funds
  • Access - ensuring adequate access for maintenance and emergency vehicles
  • Security - protecting water quality and limiting attractive nuisance
  • Excavation and construction - considering slopes and soil conditions in order to minimize the length and magnitude of disturbance, including tie-in piping and drain construction
  • Future planning - designing to accommodate one additional tank in the near term, and a third tank in the next 50+ years.

The contract with Murray Smith Associates specifies that design services will be completed by spring 2021, which will allow construction to begin summer 2021. Recall that our goal is to construct one 7.5 MG tank at East 40th Ave. and bring that facility online by mid-2023, so that we can meet the Oregon Health Authority's direction to substantially rehabilitate or decommission the existing College Hill reservoir by the end of 2023. 
EWEB commissions ecological study
We are aware that the East 40th site supports oak and Douglas fir forest, an open meadow, and other plant communities that provide habitat for a variety of birds and other wildlife. Neighbors have indicated that preserving natural areas and habitat are among their top interests for the site.
 
To better understand and address the potential environmental impacts of this project, EWEB is contracting with the consulting firm DOWL to conduct an ecological study at the site. The study will identify sensitive habitat and species and help inform the tank design and landscaping plan to preserve and protect  sensitive species during construction and restore
the site to enhance the habitat afterwards. 

For those who are interested in learning more about the planned ecological study, we have posted more information about the study scope and goals on our website.

COMING SOON: NEIGHBOR QUESTIONNAIRE

As part of DOWL’s preliminary research, neighbors will be invited to share their observations of unique or highly valued wildlife and habitat features on the property. Watch your inbox for a questionnaire from DOWL.
What's next?
  • EWEB staff and Murray Smith Associates will be on-site August 25 to tour the property.
  • DOWL will reach out to neighbors to ask about observations of unique or highly valued habitat features on the property.
  • Surveyors will be on-site in September to mark property boundaries on the north and east sides of the site, and to survey Patterson Street for pipeline construction.
  • 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. (Reminder: the existing tree markings are NOT those to be removed.)
  • We expect to hold another neighborhood meeting/presentation in late 2020 with a project update and to collect input on the next phase of landscape renderings.
  •  Additional geotechnical work will occur; notice about the extent and duration will be provided ahead of time.

As a reminder, the major East 40th project milestones are as follows:
Click here for a larger view of the Project Phases & Timeline.
How to stay informed and involved
Contact the Project Team:
Call 541-685-7899
 
Project information and updates: eweb.org/waterstorage