The City of Ridgefield is one step further in upgrading its water infrastructure to meet anticipated future growth.
The Ridgefield City Council approved engineering firm Consor Inc. to manage the project design of a new reservoir to expand residential water infrastructure at its meeting last week.
Ridgefield’s proposed Eastside Elevated Reservoir Project would involve building a new water reservoir on 5.3 acres of property recently bought by the city. The reservoir is expected to hold 2 million to 5 million gallons of water at full capacity.
As project manager, Consor Inc. would oversee planning, alternatives analysis and preliminary design for the project, Ridgefield Public Works Director Chuck Green said. It would also assist in the bidding process for construction of the project.
Green noted Consor’s experience with water reservoirs in Clark County, including overseeing a 2-million-gallon ground-level reservoir project in Battle Ground.
“We did select a very qualified team,” Green said before council. “… Our goal is to have construction done by the end of 2025.”
The project analysis phase is expected to conclude in May. Depending on the scope of the project, construction could be completed in 2025-26.
The council awarded Consor $1,405,949 to complete the design phase, including the cost $100,000 for design contingencies and $150,000 for future construction support services.
The East Reservoir Project is one of many improvement projects listed in the city’s developing Water System Plan with the help of Gray and Osborne engineering consultant group. The plan’s lead Mike Johnson said he expects the projects currently listed in the plan to cost $27.5 million in infrastructure investment in the next six years.
Johnson said without improvements to the city’s water infrastructure, the city will begin to experience capacity deficiencies by 2026 and reach storage capacity by 2027. The new reservoir would help address some of those issues.
The city’s overall water plan includes replacing several of the city’s downtown pipes, some of which are over 50 years old and in need of repair. Future developments would be paid by the city through capital reserves, revenue collected by development charges and rate revenue from utility customers. The city would also seek additional grants for these projects.
