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The space surrounding the new reservoir could feature native plants and pervious paths. An alternate proposal that echoed the hard flat surface of the old reservoir has a number of disadvantages, including a substantially higher price tag, EWEB says.
The Eugene Water & Electric Board plans to transform the open space around the College Hill reservoir into a “naturescape.”
Last month, EWEB finished replacing the aging water reservoirs at the site with two new round water storage tanks that are more resilient against earthquakes, a major step in the two-year project in the area bounded by 23rd and 25th avenues and Lawrence and Lincoln streets, atop College Hill.
The utility is now deciding how to use the open space surrounding the fenced tanks. EWEB is favoring a $250,000 “naturescape” design with native plants and pervious surfaces like a bark path, rather than a competing “hardscape” proposal featuring a 33,000 square-foot flat concrete slab to the north of the new tanks, according to a Sept. 8 report on the project.
Before demolition, the old water tanks were covered by a hard flat surface stretching the length of a city block, a cherished public space where kids rode their bikes and stargazers watched the night sky.
Replacing the tanks meant shifting that open space from on top of the reservoir to the area outside the tanks.
The hardscape design, which more closely resembles the original paved reservoir, would require “carbon-intensive” construction materials, worsen long-term stormwater runoff and urban heat island effects, and cost $1.6 million, much more than the naturescape proposal, according to the report.
“Moving forward, EWEB will pursue a naturescape concept and will invite additional public comment on the plant palettes used, screening, and recreation areas on the site,” the report states. “Although wheeled activities will not be supported, there is an opportunity to create spaces that support other valued activities such as walking, dancing, tai chi, and star gazing.”
Adding a concrete slab would require the construction of a “substantial retaining wall” due to the site’s natural downward slope, according to the report.
“Based on the results of the [assessment], EWEB has concluded that replicating roller sport recreation in the area outside of the fenced tanks is infeasible,” the report states.
The utility hired a consulting firm that compared the environmental, social and economic impacts of both options and accepted public input on the proposals between April 2023 and June 2026. EWEB said it received nearly 300 comments and a petition signed by 96 neighbors during that period.
The utility plans to hold two public meetings at Amazon Community Center in November, including representatives of the landscape design firm, to flesh out the naturescape design, and will meet with homeowners who have direct views of the site to discuss “screening methods to create a visual buffer between the tanks and adjacent homes,” per the report.
EWEB plans to stick to a “responsible budget” for the landscaping and amenities portion of this project, in part because not all customers “have the benefit of an EWEB-owned accessible public space in their neighborhood,” according to the utility’s website.
There are also plans for a mural near the site, the report states. EWEB will seek public input on the theme and artist for the artwork.
EWEB hopes to finalize its design for the open space in early 2027. The site will open to the public later that year.
Before that, EWEB is building hardened pipelines to connect the new tanks to the water system, which will be installed under 23rd Avenue from Lincoln Street to Amazon Parkway starting in late 2026.
