With tank and pipeline construction complete, EWEB is preparing to re-landscaping the East 40th water storage site to improve neighbor viewsheds and create public amenities that are appropriate to the neighborhood.
Earlier this year, EWEB gathered public input on the site's landscape restoration and enhancements. This feedback informed key design elements such as plant selection, pathways, and overall aesthetics.
Explore this webpage: Overview of the Plan | Incorporation of Public Input | Maintenance and Sustainability | Community Benefits
Overview of the plan
The landscape design responds to local neighborhood desires for vegetated screening of the tanks, native habitat restoration, and enhanced pollinator resources. The species selected for this site are all native to the Willamette Valley and resilient to summer drought. Landscape improvements have been kept minimal to retain the naturalistic qualities of the site and limit recreational activities to a single walking path.
The banks on the northeast side of the tanks will be planted with native deciduous trees and a variety of flowering native shrubs, both deciduous and evergreen, that provide screening and structural diversity, including Osoberry, Red-Flowering Currant, Evergreen Huckleberry, and Creeping Oregon Grape. The rest of the disturbed area will be seeded with a native woodland mix of herbaceous understory plants to create a small meadow typical of oak savannas. The seed mix contains approximately 50% grasses, 38% perennial flowers and 12% annual flowers, all grown in Oregon from wild-collected Willamette Valley seed. The meadow will also include a few Oregon White Oaks and Ponderosa Pine trees.
A mulch walking path will pass through the meadow on the north side of tanks and connect to an existing path that follows the ridgeline of the site to the south.
A planted rain garden will lie adjacent to the paved entry drive.
Below are some examples of the planned plant species, along with artistic renderings depicting the site once the vegetation is fully established.
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Click any of the images below to view a larger PDF.
Incorporation of Public Input
To better understand community interests, EWEB surveyed neighbors and other impacted parties and held in-person and online meetings. EWEB also updated neighbors with mailers, emails, and presentations at neighborhood association meetings.
Throughout, EWEB heard that neighbors most valued maintaining public access and enhancing wildlife habitat with climate-resilient vegetation. Many people desired more trees while others wanted more scenic views. Most requested an unpaved path, and some wanted benches, educational signage, and waste bins. A few desired enhanced amenities such as path lighting, a bathroom, a water fountain, and a small playground. Others did not want features that draw more visitors.
In a 2024 survey, neighbors’ top landscaping priority was pollinator resources. The final design has an oak meadow with perennials — camas, yarrow, buttercup, goldenrod, blue wildrye, red flowering currant, evergreen huckleberry, osoberry — that pollinators love! Some wildflowers will bloom in early spring while others flower later to extend the season.
Respondents’ next highest priority was structural diversity of vegetation. The final plan has native grasses and creeping mahonia ground cover plus taller shrubs and trees including oaks, conifers, and evergreens. The survey showed mixed preference for year-round greenery and seasonal color, so the final design provides both evergreen and deciduous shrubs. Many shrubs will have spring flowers, and some will have fall colors.
Importantly, the design includes an unpaved path and vegetative screening around the water storage tanks. For cost-efficiency, ease of maintenance, and to mitigate attractive nuisance, EWEB chose not to add other amenities to the site.
Maintenance and Sustainability
In re-landscaping the site of the new water storage tanks, efficiency and ease of maintenance are key considerations in creating a sustainable landscape. The species selected for the area are climate-adapted and drought-tolerant, requiring minimal maintenance and watering once established.
The meadow will be seeded with native grasses, left unirrigated, and mowed only twice a year in accordance with the City of Eugene’s schedule. Trees planted in the meadow will need hand-watering during their establishment period, while the trees and plants screening the tanks will be irrigated using efficient tree bubblers and sprinklers.
Community Benefits
Throughout the project, EWEB heard that what mattered most to neighbors and the community were wildlife habitat, public access, and resiliency. The final design addresses these three key components:
- Habitat: Diverse landscaping will provide habitat for pollinators, birds, deer, small mammals, and other wildlife. The design requires minimal maintenance and future disturbance to animals onsite.
- Public access: The site adds a bark mulch trail around the water storage tanks and to existing connections for outdoor recreation, dog walking, wildlife viewing, and enjoyment of the scenery. Minimal improvements were designed to keep public use low on the roughly 10-acre site.
- Resiliency: The site plan enhances resilience by prioritizing biodiversity and addressing climate change with native, climate-adaptable vegetation across the approximately 8 acres surrounding the water tanks. This approach supports a healthy ecosystem while ensuring the landscape can thrive under changing environmental conditions.
