Related News
Related News
-
National Preparedness Month: Older adults take control in 1, 2, 3
We know older adults can face greater risks when it comes to the extreme weather events and emergencies we face, especially if they are living alone, are low-income, have a disability, depend on electricity for medical needs, or live in rural areas.
Find Out More -
Women in STEM: EWEB Engineer Laura Ohman's second degree brings a lifetime of benefits
EWEB Engineer Laura Ohman shares how getting her second degree was one of the most difficult and rewarding things she's ever accomplished.
Find Out More -
Bethel neighbors boost emergency preparedness during Emergency Water Station event
Staff gave out about 300 emergency water containers to enthusiastic community members eager to learn more about the water station.
Find Out More -
How does EWEB recover the costs of serving customers
Here’s an overview of the three primary ways EWEB recovers the costs of serving customers and generates the funds needed to keep the power on and the water flowing.
Find Out More -
Stay cool during extreme heat events
With temperatures forecasted to reach over 100 degrees over the next several days, we've prepared some tips and tricks to help you stay cool.
Find Out More -
Women in STEM: Meet our servant leader and maker of tough decisions
Karen Kelley, Chief Operations Officer at EWEB, describes herself as a "servant leader," offering support and mentoring to four division managers at EWEB.
Find Out More -
EWEB establishes multipronged resiliency policy
Disaster recovery and prevention are being embedded in all operations and processes.
Find Out More -
Women in STEM: Meet the water quality specialist who ensures the safety of Eugene's drinking water
Brenda Casarez began working at EWEB in 2009, collecting samples from all over the water system testing for different contaminants.
Find Out More -
EWEB will close College Hill Reservoir site for Fourth of July
EWEB will continue the annual closure of its College Hill Reservoir over the Fourth of July holiday. For the past several years, EWEB has restricted access to the reservoir surface around the Fourth of July to ensure people do not set off fireworks which can damage the roof and potentially impact drinking water quality.
Find Out More -
EWEB and City finalize sale of former riverfront headquarters
The two buildings on 4.4 acres will transformed into Eugene's new City Hall. EWEB and the City signed closing documents and officially handed over the site keys on Tuesday.
Find Out More -
EWEB, Partners Receive $7.5M Grant from NOAA
EWEB, McKenzie Watershed Council, McKenzie River Trust and the U.S. Forest Service are working to improve major tributary for water quality, wildfire resiliency and fish habitat.
Find Out More -
EWEB begins major water pipeline upgrades
This summer, EWEB is launching several construction water pipeline projects to enhance the reliability and earthquake resiliency of drinking water service for Eugene residents.
Find Out More -
Currin Substation - the origin of the name
Hugh Currin was hired as an engineer at EWEB in 1923. Later, he became the chief engineer for the utility.
Find Out More -
EWEB Safety Tip: Celebrate responsibly with balloons
If your graduation celebration involves balloons, make sure they are secured with a weight. Otherwise, they can float away and come into contact with overhead power lines.
Find Out More -
EWEB programs make electric mobility more accessible
Electric mobility seems to be everywhere these days, but does availability equal accessibility? Here at EWEB we’ve determined that the answer is ‘no’ and are working to bridge that gap through EV car shares, community grants and electric bike rebates.
Find Out More - Show More
Neighbors get exclusive peak inside water storage tanks before they’re sealed.
February 17, 2023 • Rachael McDonald, EWEB Communications
EWEB is building two 7.5-million-gallon water storage tanks on a 10-acre property at East 40th and Patterson Street in South Eugene. The tanks are part of our work to improve EWEB’s water storage infrastructure for future resiliency to earthquakes and climate change. People who live nearby have been watching the progress of the work since summer 2021.
About a week before the final panel is placed on the 2nd of two water tanks, EWEB invited neighbors to get an inside look.
“Hey, Hi, how are you?”
On a chilly afternoon, neighbors and EWEB staff gathered at the construction site in south Eugene.
“I’m Laura Farthing,” EWEB’s Laura Farthing introduced herself to the small group. “I’m the project manager and an engineer at EWEB. So, I’ve been up here a lot. And we wanted to get an opportunity to invite neighbors in so you can see inside the tanks before we fully close them up.”
First, a safety briefing.
“We just want to make sure you watch your step,” Farthing explained it’s still a construction site.
Then we walked over to the tanks. They towered over us at 35 feet tall. The east tank is completely enclosed, but the west one is accessible, and so we walk inside the vast structure that’s 212 feet in diameter.
“How many gallons?” asked a neighbor.
“Each tank can hold 7.5 million gallons of water,” Farthing explained. “So, 15 total. Just to put it into comparison. EWEB’s average day demand, that’s what you need to live, is about 23 million gallons a day.”
Farthing said peak demand in the summer is around 53 million gallons per day.
“That’s for the city?” someone asked.
“That’s the whole city,” Farthing said. “So, and after these are connected in, they’ll be able to give water to the entire community.”
“We can go walk back in here so you can get a sense of what it’s going to feel like when it’s really closed in.” Farthing led the group into the enclosed portion of the tank. Her voice echoed in the huge concrete structure.
“This is kind of what they’ll look like when they’re done. You can see the roof, columns,” Farthing said.
Someone asked about rebar along the bottom corner of the cylindrical tank.
“A concrete curb gets poured, a concrete curb gets poured between the floor and the walls at the end,” Farthing explained.
”They have to tighten the cables on the outside first, and that is kind of the last piece, that keeps the walls from collapsing,” Travis Cox added. He’s with Pacific Excavation, a contractor building the tanks.
”That’s a good idea,” said the neighbor.
The pre-stressed concrete tanks will be wrapped with high strength wire for earthquake resiliency.
“Now we’re compressing the concrete this way, and they we’ll compress the concrete this way to hold all the water in place,” Cox said.
Outside, Farthing explained that most of the tanks will be fenced off and encased in a berm.
“You won’t see the full tank,” Farthing said. “So, where we walked in will be about 15 feet of dirt at that point. Which is always interesting to stand somewhere. You can mentally take a note. I was here, because eventually, it’ll be under a lot of dirt. But the site will still remain open and accessible to the public.”
EWEB will initiate a public involvement period for what the property will look like once the tanks are finished. There will be about 8 acres of open space for public use.
Chelsea Mabie and her daughters Carrigan and Rhoslyn live next door.
“What’s it like to come over to the site and walk around?” I asked.
“It’s nice, because I’ve been having it since I moved in, built, and it’s nice to see how big it is,” Rhoslyn said. “It’s really impressive.”
“Yeah, it’s really cool to see the process of what it is like to look at it and it’s really interesting to look at,” Carrigan added.
“Yeah, it’s been, as someone getting to see a little progress each day, the scope of how big they are. From the outside, you don’t really take it in until you see the interior,“ Chelsea said.
Chelsea Mabie said that considering the size and scale of the project the construction really hasn’t been too disruptive.
“The construction started just two months after we moved in,” Chelsea Mabie said. “So it really has been just part of us living here.”
The construction of the two tanks is expected to be complete by the end of this year. Site restoration and landscaping will take place in 2024. The tanks will provide water storage for the city of Eugene for the next 100 years. EWEB is investing in additional earthquake resilient water storage at our College Hill and Hawkins reservoir sites in the coming years.
Related Programs
We're making investments to prepare, replace and maintain our community's water system.
Your utility rates support ongoing operations and needed investments.