QuickTake:

Residents can expect another two years of noise and disruption, and part of Lincoln Street will be closed, starting July 28 through November.

The College Hill Reservoir Replacement Project, which started last July, is replacing old water storage tanks from 1939 with two new tanks that will each hold 7.5 million gallons. The new tanks should last for 50 years and will be up to seismic standards.

Nearby residents already have experienced months of noise and dust from the first phase of the project, when the old reservoir was demolished and removed. 

In May, the project was put on hold because of a delay in obtaining permits for phase two. 

Crane Pouring Concrete Reservoir
A crane pours concrete at the construction site of the College Hill Reservoir Replacement Project. The project is set to finish in 2027. Credit: Courtesy of Claire Wray

“The permit did take awhile to sort out,” Eugene Water & Electric Board project engineer Laura Farthing said. “We’re the only water utility in the entire area, and so when they come to permit our stuff, it’s very complex because there isn’t anyone who has done something that’s specific to this site.”

Permits were issued for phase two on June 24. Farthing said work resumed the next day. 

“In our overall schedule, it’s not actually going to set us back that long because our schedules are designed to have a significant amount of float just for these reasons,” she said.

As phase two progresses, Lincoln Street will be closed between 23rd and 26th avenues, starting July 28 until the end of November. Local access will remain available.

Farthing said she has heard some frustration among residents and homeowners in the neighborhood about the construction noise.

“We recognize that this was a very quiet neighborhood, and this is a very large commercial project,” Farthing said. “This isn’t the type of project that happens in your backyard every day.”

Farthing has planned frequent “Coffee with Laura” sessions and walkthrough opportunities for residents to ask questions about the project. The next session is scheduled for 10 a.m. on Thursday, July 24, at the construction site.

The water tanks should be ready for testing by December 2026. Back filling and site restoration will go into 2027.

Jasmine Saboorian is a recent graduate from the University of Oregon and is an intern with the Charles Snowden Program for Excellence in Journalism. A native of Los Angeles, Jasmine was a journalism major and sports business minor at UO. She began her journalism career in high school as the news editor for her school’s newspaper, the Calabasas Courier, where she discovered her passion for journalism.