Bellevue will hold a community meeting Thursday, Oct. 8, on the Meydenbauer South Reservoir, a project that will add the city's largest reservoir and boost drinking water and firefighting capacity across western Bellevue.
Bellevue Utilities Director Lucy Liu and Deputy Director Joe Harbour will lead the session from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at Bellevue City Hall, Room 1E-108, the city announced Sept. 24. The meeting is in person. A virtual session is planned for later in 2026, with the date to be posted on the project webpage.
The reservoir will be built on a grassy, city-owned parcel in the Meydenbauer neighborhood, south of an existing reservoir and pump station. When finished, it will be the largest reservoir in Bellevue, storing drinking water and providing firefighting capacity for downtown, BelRed and surrounding areas.
The city will need additional reservoir volume by 2030 to meet regulations and keep up with growth, according to the project page. The Meydenbauer site was selected in December 2023 after the city evaluated four neighborhoods over 2022 and 2023. Bellevue Utilities already owns the two parcels, and the location is close to where forecasted demand is highest.
The reservoir will be fully buried to preserve the property's open space, a condition that helped win neighborhood support during site selection.
Beyond the reservoir itself, the project includes a new pump station and roughly 7,000 linear feet of transmission water main connecting the facility to the existing system at Bellevue Way and NE 4th Street.
Timeline and construction
Final design and permitting are expected to run through early 2028. Construction is projected from the third quarter of 2028 through the fourth quarter of 2031, according to the city's project page.
At a previous community meeting on Oct. 30, 2025, about 17 residents attended and raised concerns about proposed haul routes, traffic impacts on bicyclists, school buses and pedestrians, fencing that could block views of downtown Bellevue, and driveway access on 96th Ave SE during construction, according to meeting notes.
"This is a great opportunity for community members to ask questions," Liu said in the city's announcement. "We look forward to sharing more about why this project is important, what to expect during construction and how it will help us prepare Bellevue's water system for the future."
The city plans to hold public meetings on the project every four to six months. Residents can also contact Project Manager Jay Hummel at [email protected] to request a briefing or ask the team to attend a community event.
