Water Storage Improvement Projects |
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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.
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Dear East 40th Neighbors, |
In our previous project update email (April 2), we let you know that the EWEB Board of Commissioners would be asked at their April 6 meeting to “endorse” a Record of Decision, by which the General Manager, based on staff and management recommendation, concurred with the identified tank siting locations on the eastern-most portion of the site and the construction of both tanks concurrently commencing in 2021. |
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Following a presentation by the project team and extensive Q&A between Commissioners, staff and the General Manager, the Board unanimously endorsed the record of decision.
Here's a summary of some of the key implications of this decision:
- The tanks will be sited on the eastern-most portion of the site, on the north side of the ridgeline.
- Earthwork will begin late summer 2021.
- Both tanks will be constructed concurrently.
- The entire construction process will take around 3 years from earthwork to re-landscaping.
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Approximately 25% of the trees on the site will be removed to accommodate the tanks.
- The tanks will provide 15 million gallons of secure, reliable water storage to our community by mid-2024.
- After construction, the remainder of the property (approximately 8 acres) will remain open to the public.
More details about the final siting and construction sequence are provided below.
For those who are interested in the Board's discussion and line of questioning, we have posted an edited transcription on the project website. You can also watch a video recording of project team's presentation to the Board and resulting discussion here (presentation begins at 37:35). |
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Why construct the tanks on the eastern-most portion of the site?
However, the location on the eastern-most portion of the site came out ahead in all TBL criteria evaluated, and has a few distinct advantages:
- Minimizes impacts to an Oregon Strategy Habitat
- Requires the least amount of rock excavation, reducing the duration, noise, and cost of construction
- Impacts the viewshed for the fewest neighbors
Why construct both tanks concurrently?
In addition to the TBL prepared by the outside engineering firm to help determine tank placement, EWEB prepared a second TBL assessment to understand the impacts of constructing both tanks concurrently, compared to the preliminary plan of constructing one tank in 2021, and a second tank in 2030.
The TBL used to help determine the timing and construction sequence is published on our website, as part of the April 2021 Board meeting packet.
For both options, the TBL assessed costs, duration of construction, total number of truck trips, impacts to Patterson St. traffic, and disruption to the site and to neighbors.
Looking at several criteria, we determined that building both tanks concurrently has some notable advantages:
- Saves approximately $1,400,000 (2021 Net Present Value)
- Consolidates the work into a single disruptive period, avoiding a second round of neighborhood disruption
- Limits Patterson St. wear and tear and coincides with City of Eugene street repairs
- Results in 2,100 fewer truckloads, reducing noise, street damage, and carbon emissions
It is estimated that constructing both tanks concurrently will disrupt the site for a total of 3 years, compared to a total disruption period of 4 years under a staggered construction schedule.
Construction planning
We anticipate the first construction activities will begin mid-2021 and neighbors will be given three months' notice before earthwork begins.
We will have more information about clearing the site and construction planning in the coming months as we develop and share a Construction Mitigation Plan, which is a combination of diagrams, documents, drawings, and specifications that clearly define the steps that will be taken to minimize impacts to neighbors. The plan will cover things like dates and hours of construction, steps to protect neighboring properties, fencing plans, construction traffic control, erosion control, dust and noise mitigation requirements, and more.
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Recap of neighbor meetings |
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In case you missed our previous email, we provided a recap of the neighbor meetings held at the project site in early March, including:
- Project background and important considerations
- Results of the ecological inventory report and steps EWEB can take to maintain or improve the health of the site after construction
- Results of the Triple Bottom Line (TBL) assessment used to help determine site layout
- Clearing, prepping and excavating the site through the use of controlled drilling and blasting
- Construction planning and mitigation
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Contact us with questions |
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We are committed to open and frequent communication with all neighbors throughout the planning, construction, and restoration process and we look forward to partnering with you during the landscape design process to determine plantings, walking paths, and other features that are valuable to residents and appropriate to the neighborhood.
If you have questions or input, please don’t hesitate to reach out to the project team at
- Laura Farthing, Project Manager/Senior Civil Engineer
- Jen Connors, Communications Supervisor
- Jeannine Parisi, Customer Relationship Manager
- Wally McCullough, Water Engineering Supervisor
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