The Eugene Water & Electric Board is overseeing the construction of two new, seismically-sound water tanks on College Hill. Work began in 2024, with demolition of the original, 1940s-era reservoir.
The major infrastructure project just hit a milestone, according to EWEB Principal Engineer Laura Farthing.
“We have actually closed in both tanks with the walls. And we're through—each roof is poured in four sections—so we're through three sections of the roof on tank 1, and two sections of the roof on tank 2,” Farthing told KLCC. “So the completion of the tank structures themselves is about a month to six weeks ahead of schedule.”
Farthing said, like building a home, once the structure is in place, there’s still a lot of work to do. She said the next big step is to wrap the tanks in thick cabling under tension, which will protect them in case of an earthquake.
For safety reasons, no other crews will be allowed on site until that work is done. Therefore, she said, the intersection of Lincoln Street and 23rd Avenue will remain closed, likely until summer, when work on the pipelines leading to and from the tanks can re-start.
The bulk of construction will be complete this year, with infill and landscaping to come in 2027.
