The Hilyard Street water transmission pipeline was a nearly 10-year project to connect together multiple reservoirs and pump stations for redundancy, resiliency, improved water quality, and to allow EWEB to retire and replace aging infrastructure in the area.
Hilyard Street Pipeline Project: 2025 Construction Work Complete
Water now flows from EWEB’s Hayden Bridge Water Filtration Plant to the E. 40th water storage tanks through the Hilyard water transmission pipeline, and ultimately to homes and businesses. The completed transmission pipeline along Hilyard Street adds redundancy and resiliency to Eugene’s water system and capacity for firefighting protection.
The transmission main is constructed out of welded steel, which is one of the most seismically robust materials available and can have a lifespan of over 100 years. The project also replaced and improved stormwater piping along Hilyard Street.
In addition to the transmission pipeline, EWEB added or replaced smaller distribution pipes to ensure safe, reliable drinking water was delivered to homes. EWEB also utilized the open trench to make electric infrastructure improvements. Coordinating these efforts helps us save time and money and minimizes disruptions to the community.
The construction work at Hilyard Street and East 33rd Ave was the final phase of a multi-year project to connect the new water storage tanks at E. 40th to the water transmission system.
Repaving Hilyard Street from E. 33rd Ave to 40th Ave
The City of Eugene is scheduled to repave Hilyard Street from E. 34th Avenue to E. 40th Avenue in 2025. The repaving project will include reconstructing sidewalk access ramps and repairing stormwater or sanitary sewers as necessary. Construction is estimated to begin this summer. Updates and more information about this City-led public works project are on the City's projects page.
Nightingale Hosted Shelters Celebrates Major Infrastructure Upgrades
Located on City-owned property at Hilyard Street and 34th Avenue, Nightingale Hosted Shelters is a nonprofit organization that provides temporary shelter and fosters a healthy, safe, and supportive community for individuals experiencing homelessness.
Through an intergovernmental agreement (IGA), EWEB gained easements across City-owned property adjacent to Nightingale, allowing for staging of equipment and efficient installation of water and electric facilities for the Hilyard water transmission main project.
As part of the agreement, EWEB and the City of Eugene partnered to install essential water, electric, and sewer infrastructure at Nightingale Hosted Shelters. EWEB's water and electric service improvements were made possible through cost savings achieved by routing the pipeline across city property, rather than tearing up the 34th and Hilyard intersection, reducing paving and traffic control expenses.
With the support of one-time State Shelter and Housing Grant funds provided by the City of Eugene, additional grant funding, and donations from hundreds of Nightingale supporters, the project delivered electricity to individual sleeping huts, a fully equipped kitchen and shower house (constructed by SquareOne Villages), a renovated warming and cooling shelter for year-round comfort, and permanent water and sewer connections, replacing temporary portable services.
Read the full story in our newsroomNews and Updates
We are committed to keeping our customer-owners informed about this project. In addition to information posted on this website, we shared regular updates through email, social media (follow us @EWEButility), traditional news media, and other channels during the project.
Email Updates
April 25, 2025: Hilyard Pipeline: Final Project Update - Celebration Invitation and Camas Bulb Update
March 14, 2025: Hilyard Pipeline: Construction Update - Road Closure Changes and Saving Native Plants
January 22, 2025: Hilyard Pipeline: Upcoming Construction Activity - Expect traffic impacts and detours
August 28, 2024: Hilyard Pipeline Project Update - E. 40th Avenue work ahead
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News Stories
KEZI, May 15, 2025: Nightingale Hosted Shelters get permanent utilities
KLCC, May 14, 2025: Eugene homeless shelter receives power and running water
KEZI, May 13, 2025: Nightingale Hosted Shelters, EWEB partner on permanent utilities infrastructure
Lookout Eugene-Springfield, May 2, 2025: Nightingale Hosted Shelters in Eugene get water and electric upgrades
Eugene Water & Electric Board, May 6, 2025: Infrastructure upgrades at Nightingale Hosted Shelters made possible through powerful public-nonprofit partnership
The City of Eugene, April 8, 2025: Camas bulbs preserved and transplanted thanks to partnership
The Register-Guard, March 21, 2025: What's that? Construction underway at E. 33rd and Hilyard in Eugene
Saving Native Plants: Camas Bulbs
A segment of the city-owned empty lot between East 33rd Ave and East 34th Ave is classified as wetlands, which requires additional care during construction projects. This care includes a pre-approved filtered dewatering plan, reduced ground disturbance, vegetation restoration, and additional requirements that are embedded in EWEB’s project plan.
During construction, the team also discovered the soil was rich with Camas Bulbs, a native bulb-producing plant that is ecologically and culturally significant to the Willamette Valley. Working with the City of Eugene, EWEB identified a solution to temporarily store soil at our College Hill construction site to create space for the salvage of the Camas Bulbs. Once the rescue work is complete, the soil stored at College Hill will be returned to Hilyard and placed in the upper parts of the trench to protect other wetland species that may be in the soil
Through partnership and coordination with EWEB, Diane Steek, City of Eugene Ecologist for Parks and Open Space gathered volunteers during the weeks of March 3 and 10 to save over 1,000 Camas Bulbs! Roughly 400 were planted in the Westmoreland Park prairie area where volunteers are also doing an invasive grass removal project. About 110 of the bulbs were provided to the Native Youth Wellness Program, and the remaining were planted at restoration sites in the West Eugene Wetlands.
Check the City of Eugene Parks and Open Space website for more information on current projects and volunteer opportunities.
What's That Thing?
In our April 2025 issue of EWEB's email newsletter Current Connections, we featured a piece of water infrastruction that was key in completing the work on the Hilyard Pipeline Project in our "What's that Thing?" segment. If you haven't guessed yet, these are water transmission pipes!
Despite their size, water transmission pipes are not likely to be seen very often. They are hidden under sidewalks and roadways, bringing water from our Hayden Bridge Filtration Plant to reservoir locations throughout Eugene. EWEB transmission pipes range in size from 24-inch to 60-inch. At the maximum flow, a 36-inch pipe could fill 10,000-gallon swimming pool in 38 seconds.
On Hilyard Street, a new 36-inch transmission pipe was installed to connect the new water storage tanks at E. 40th Avenue to the water system. The Hilyard transmission pipe is constructed from coated welded steel, which is one of the most seismically robust and corrosion-resistant materials available and can have a lifespan of over 100 years.
More Information on Eugene's Water Reliability Projects
Water Reliablity Projects
We're making investments to prepare, replace and maintain our community's water system.
Your drinking water quality
Access to clean water is vital to our community. That is why we work hard to deliver water that meets or exceeds all state and federal health standards.
Water System Master Plan
EWEB is updating its long-range Water System Master Plan (WSMP) to ensure our community has safe and reliable water for the future. This plan provides guidance for important upgrades over the next 20 years to prepare, replace and maintain the infrastructure that makes up our water system.
