Several layers of material are used to construct the walls of a 4-million gallon reservoir at the South Redmond Water Facility, shown here on Wednesday, May 26, 2021. 

Construction on the $16 million South Redmond Water Facility is on-time and on-budget, according to Josh Wedding, water utilities manager for the city.

When finished in May 2022, the facility will contain a four-million gallon reservoir and the city’s second booster pump, providing tap water for homes and businesses across the city. It will more than double Redmond’s system reservoir capacity, Wedding said.

Although Central Oregon irrigators are concerned about drought conditions, and the new facility will draw from the Deschutes Basin Aquifer, the aquifer has enough water to support the new reservoir, Wedding said. Only 2% of water from the aquifer goes to municipal use, like city water facilities, he said.

Still, locals should try to be more efficient with their water use, Wedding said.

“Let’s do more with what we have,” he said.