Capital Hill Reservoir Replacement Project Update
- September 16, 2026 | Category: Ongoing Projects
Our Capital Hill Reservoir Replacement Project has only been underway for a couple of months, but contractor Slayden Constructors has worked quickly to demolish Reservoir 1 and begin excavating the area for the new reservoir. Since excavation activities began in September, approximately 155 to 165 loads of material have been hauled, both by 13-yard and 20-yard trucks. Excavation will continue through the end of October, though the offsite hauling will likely reduce in volume until excavation is complete.
In conjunction with these activities, Medford Water Operations staff is working on making the facility’s system of pipes ready to isolate and relocate a critical pipeline on the site, which is necessary as it is currently within the footprint of the new reservoir. This has been very challenging, as the site is over 100 years old and has gone through many iterations of expansion over that time. Our crews are working with old piping and valves which may not have been used for purposes of isolation for years or even decades, so we are systematically working through the issues as they are discovered.
The City of Medford Engineering department continues to provide valuable input and suggestions for how to best navigate traffic control and signage approaches around the site. This is a difficult project in a challenging location, which makes support from neighbors so important and so appreciated.
See a time-lapse video of the work that has been done onsite in the last few weeks below, and learn more about this project on our project page.
