Medford Water presents Southeast master plan; estimates $121 million for buildout, begins Barnett Pump Station construction

Medford Water updated the City Council on Wednesday about a multi‑decade plan to serve growth in the Southeast portion of the city, laying out a phased approach that would require pumping, piping and reservoirs across roughly eight pressure zones and an estimated $121 million in infrastructure to reach ultimate buildout. Brad Taylor, general manager of Medford Water, said the plan analyzed a 10‑year horizon (to about 2040) and then additional buildout scenarios for the urban growth boundary and urban reserve. "Each zone requires separate piping, pumping, and storage," he told council, describing the technical need to divide service areas by approximately 150 feet of elevation to manage pressure and ensure fire flow and emergency storage. Taylor explained reservoirs are sized to meet three needs: operational/equalization storage (about 25% of maximum day demand), emergency storage (about one day of average demand) and fire‑flow storage based on the highest zoning in each pressure area. He noted an approximate construction cost of $3 per gallon for storage tanks and said typical piping is sized to meet fire‑flow requirements and pump stations are designed to firm capacity to provide maximum day demand with the largest pump out of service. The plan's cost breakdown Taylor provided: about $37 million of projects in the 10‑year view; an additional $62 million for buildout of the urban growth boundary; and another $21 million to build out the urban reserve, for a combined total near $121 million. Taylor said projects in the 10‑year view are included in the utility's 10‑year capital plan and that the Barnett Pump Station (Zone 2), near Barnett Road and North Phoenix Road, is under construction with a projected cost of $4.5 million and a roughly 12‑month schedule (completion expected late 2026). Council questions focused on how the projects would be funded. Councilor John Quinn asked how the $37 million 10‑year figure is split between system development charges (SDCs) and rates; Taylor said the 10‑year costs will be funded through a combination of rates and SDCs and that updated SDCs would be the subject of a public hearing in August. Taylor added the utility plans to include redundancy, alternative power sources for pump stations, looped piping to avoid dead ends, and other resilience measures. No council vote was required on the presentation; councilors thanked Taylor and asked for follow‑up on SDC breakdowns. Speakers quoted in this article are listed below and are attributed to the meeting transcript.