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EAGLE POINT More reservoirs eyed to handle Eagle Point projected growth, water pressure issues Water pressure issues also have been raised Comment By Buffy Pollock for the Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Buffy Pollock for the Mail Tribune Posted Oct. 5, 2015 at 3:31 PM By Buffy Pollock for the Mail Tribune Posted Oct. 5, 2015 at 3:31 PM » Social News Two new water reservoirs could be built over the next decade to increase Eagle Point's storage capacity and boost water pressure to accommodate population growth. The first, a $2.8 million, 1.6 million-gallon tank, will go to bid by spring 2016 and break ground by summer, city officials say. Planned for Radar Hill, next to an existing smaller tank, it will bring the number of city storage tanks to four. Current tanks store 3.6 million gallons of water on Eagle Point Hill; 3.6 million gallons near the National Cemetery on Riley Road; and 200,000 gallons on Radar Hill, near Riley Road above Eagle Point Golf Club. The first new tank will increase the city's water storage capacity from 7.4 million gallons to 9 million gallons. City Administrator Henry Lawrence said the city's water system is currently "adequate" to meet demand but that pressure issues had come up in some neighborhoods, including the area of the golf course community. Pressure concerns aside, he said, additional storage will likely be needed even if the city's population over the next two decades falls short of projections. The $2.8 million project, which includes a water tank and additional work to a pump station and surrounding infrastructure, is part of the city's 20-year plan, created in 2001 and updated by Civil West Engineering in 2013, to prepare the city for future growth while solving existing issues. Lawrence said funding for the project will come from a 4 percent annual increase in water bills initiated in recent years. About $832,000 of the $2.8 million project is for the storage tank. City Council members have discussed options for exterior and types of tops and is expected to make a decision as early as an Oct. 13 council meeting. Lawrence said the city expected to keep total project cost at or below the projected $2.8 million, meaning cost savings would need to be realized elsewhere, if the city upgraded from a basic reservoir top. "We don't intend to spend more than $2.8 million, total," Lawrence said. "We are comfortable with that amount of debt service." Upgrade options to the reservoir include a painted dome, which would cost an additional $95,000. A concrete reservoir would cost between $1.077 million and $1.145 million, depending on the type of dome chosen. A second new tank discussed in the 20-year plan would double storage capacity for the city but, Lawrence said, would be constructed only if population estimates prove true. That tank is tentatively planned for a hill east of town with an elevation of at least 1,700 feet and would store 3.6 million gallons of water. "It is mentioned in our plan, but I don't think it's actually going to happen," he said. "I think it was overly optimistic in the master plan. We're hoping this (fourth reservoir) is going to be fine for 20 years." According to studies cited in the water system plan, the city's estimated population of 8,550 in 2012 is projected to grow to 15,938 by the year 2033, based on a 3.01 percent average annual growth rate. Water usage has increased from about 2.9 million gallons in 2000 to 5 million gallons during 2011. "If we were to go through another huge boom like we did in the early 2000s, maybe we would need the additional tank," he said. "But we're not growing as fast as we had anticipated 10 years ago. Certainly, nobody is." An additional project water-system project, which Lawrence says is also on the back burner, calls for exploration of a high-producing artesian well located along Highway 62 that could supplement or even replace supplies provided by the Medford Water Commission. But Lawrence said the city's focus, for now, was to ensure adequate storage and maintain infrastructure. The city's Water System Master Plan is available at www.cityofeaglepoint.org/DocumentCenter/View/907 . Buffy Pollock is a freelance writer living in Medford. E-mail her at [email protected] EP Water Study by Mail Tribune By Buffy Pollock for the Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Buffy Pollock for the Mail Tribune Posted Oct. 5, 2015 at 3:31 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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