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.
May 4, 2022

Dear East 40th Neighbors,
Following is a brief update on what has been happening at the project site.
Tank construction expected to begin this month
At the April 5 public meeting, EWEB’s Board of Commissioners awarded the contract for tank construction to Pacific Excavation (Pac Ex). Pac Ex was the lowest responsive bidder and is the same company that EWEB contracted to provide tree removal and excavation services at the site.
 
The first phase of construction—laying the subgrade and constructing the drain system—is expected to begin in the next couple of weeks. We anticipate concrete work to begin late-May to early-June 2022 and last approximately a year. 
 
Preliminary site restoration activities planned
EWEB staff have started working with a contractor to scope out fire mitigation improvements. The ecological study conducted in 2021 identified several potential improvements to reduce fire hazards, enhance habitat value and improve the overall health of the site. In the coming months, you can expect to hear more information about fire mitigation and other site improvement plans. In the short-term, EWEB will be working with a local contractor to mitigate poison oak on the West side of the property.
 
Pipe design work is underway 
EWEB is starting preliminary design work for the new 36-inch water transmission main that will be constructed between West Amazon St. and the intersection of East 40th Ave. and Patterson St. We anticipate that that phase of the work will go out to bid late summer to early fall, with construction occurring mid-to-late 2023 after the concrete work on the tanks is complete.
 
New bench installed
A new bench was recently installed on the east side of the property to replace the bench that was destroyed by vandals. 
 
What to expect at the site
 
  • Truck traffic and construction noise will resume in the next couple of weeks as crews begin laying the subgrade and constructing the drain system. 
  • Work hours will be Monday – Friday starting at 7 a.m. and ending by 5 p.m.
  • Workers will be removing blackberries on the west side of the property during the next few weeks.
 
Reminders regarding general construction impacts:
 
  • We will only do work during hours that the City of Eugene noise ordinance allows and we will communicate work hours as the work progresses.
  • Truck noise such as beeping is not easily mitigated as that is an OSHA-required safety feature and needs to be loud enough for someone to hear while wearing hearing protection. When possible, trucks will be routed around the site to avoid the need to back up.
  • While we can't anticipate or mitigate all impacts, we will be responsive to your questions, suggestions, or concerns. Please reach out to us directly so that we can quickly address any issues that arise by email at water.storage@eweb.org or by phone at 541-685-7899.
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