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 Patterson 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.

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June 28, 2022 Dear E. 40th Neighbors, Beginning the week of July 5, 2022, an EWEB contractor will excavate a series of small holes to locate underground utilities from the intersection near 34th and Hilyard St., south to the location of the water storage construction project off E. 40th and Patterson St.

This survey work is necessary to design and construct the 36” water pipe that will eventually deliver water from the new storage tanks to homes and businesses throughout Eugene. The utility location work will last about two weeks and will primarily take place Monday - Friday between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., however intermittent work may occur outside of these hours if necessary.

What to expect   Construction trucks, flaggers, lane closures, and restricted street parking for this stretch of Patterson, E. 40th Ave. and Hilyard St., including along Tugman Park. Loud equipment noise.  Possible delays for cars leaving or entering residences along the route. Once the survey work begins, the contractor will make every effort to maintain access to the street and driveways, but residents might experience delays coming and going. Construction of the pipeline will cause additional traffic impacts during the spring-summer of 2023.

View Project Phases and Timeline Additional updates * The excavation and tank subgrade preparation stages of work are nearly complete. The large excavation equipment will leave the site within a couple of weeks. * The tank construction contractor (Skaar Construction, Inc.) will arrive onsite with a crane and other equipment at the end of June. * Expect an increase in truck traffic as deliveries of rebar and piping arrive starting the week of June 27. * In early July, work will begin on installing forms and rebar for the inlet/outlet piping that will be encased in concrete under the floor slab.

Pictures of the site as of June 24, 2022:

Rock hounds treated to geology tour In early June, a group of retired people interested in learning about the geological history of Oregon contacted Project Manager Laura Farthing. Initially, the group was hoping to get a rock from the site so they could study it as part of a lesson in the origin of Eugene's south hills. But Laura, who has a background in construction, civil engineering and environmental studies, can't resist the chance to "nerd out" with anyone who is curious about the site. So she invited the group for a tour! "Hands down one of the best parts of my job is engaging with community members who share an interest in science, infrastructure and environmental issues," said Laura. "Special thanks to site neighbor Jim for coming out to the tour and sharing all of his knowledge of geology and the site--he was really the expert in the room."

Contact us with questions

If you have questions or input, please don’t hesitate to reach out to the project team at 541-685-7899 or water.storage@eweb.org. Emails sent to this address will reach: Laura Farthing, Project Manager/Senior Civil Engineer Jen Connors, Communications Supervisor Jeannine Parisi, Customer Relationship Manager Wally McCullough, Water Engineering Supervisor