New water storage tank construction moves closer to completion with the lifting of the tank

posted on 10/31/2023

In a span of less than an hour, a hydraulic lifter jacked a million-gallon capacity steel water storage tank onto its concrete pedestal on Oct. 20. The empty steel tank weighed approximately 172,000 pounds when jacked into place.

As part of the Smith Well Road Water Improvements capital improvements project, the city is building the tank to provide water storage in addition to the primary Garrison Hill water tank to improve fire flow capacity, volume and redundancy. Once operating the new tank will allow the four-million-gallon Garrison tank to be taken offline and rehabilitated for another planned CIP project. A future phase of work will include adding a water booster station in the new tank that will provide additional water pressure to the city's north end distribution system.

The contractor, Caldwell Tanks, Inc. of Kentucky, began construction of the tank in late March, clearing the space and creating the foundation. Crews placed concrete rings to complete a 68-foot high concrete pedestal. The crew then fabricated the bulk of the steel storage tank on-site at ground level. Once completed, Caldwell’s specialized jacking began preparing the tank to be lifted into place. The crew began at 12 p.m. on Oct. 20, utilizing two alternating hydraulic jacks to lift the tank into the air and into position, followed by several hours of securing the tank into position.

Crews will continue work on the tank in its elevated state including welding on the roof and constructing other components to make the tank operational such as piping and electrical work. The system will be put into operation after filling, disinfection and testing.

The work at the tank, located off Webb Place, is connected to the ongoing work on Smith Well Road, where a new water line is being installed to connect the water main on Glenwood Avenue all the way to the new tank. Additional improvements are being completed on Smith Well Road including a new sewer line and roadway reconstruction. Both parts of the project are expected to be substantially complete in 2024.

The City Council awarded the contract to Caldwell Tanks in April 2022 to complete the work for $5,611,700.

For more information, contact Community Services at 603-516-6450.