Springfield expands water storage with new tank

A new 1 million gallon water storage tank, currently under construction, is expected to solve the town's town pressure woes.

http://www.rutlandherald.com/article/20100701/NEWS01/707019897/1003/NEWS02 # # # # Springfield expands water storage with new tank  •   A new $1.1 million, million-gallon concrete-and-steel water storage tank is being built atop Ski Tow Hill in Springfield.  •   Susan Smallheer / Rutland Herald  •   By Susan Smallheer Staff Writer - Published: July 1, 2010  •   SPRINGFIELD – It’s a view to die for: But that’s not a new McMansion at the top of Ski Tow Hill.  •   Instead, it’s a new $1.1 million, million-gallon concrete-and-steel water storage tank, that according to Jeff Strong, Springfield’s water and sewer superintendent, will help solve some of the town’s longtime water pressure problems.  •   The new tank, which is being made of steel-reinforced concrete panels, will also provide the town with additional water storage in the event of a large fire, Strong said.  •   The tank itself will cost $861,000, according to Rachel Marvin, staff engineer with Forcier Aldrich and Associates of Essex Junction, the consulting engineers for the project. Total project costs, which include engineering and administrative costs, bring the total price to $1.1 million, she said. A new access road had to be built to the tank site off Herrick Street.  •   Funding for the project came from the state’s drinking water revolving loan fund, she said.  •   The large tank is part of $10 million in renovations to the water and sewer systems in Springfield, that are being financed with a combination of local bonds, state grants and low-interest loans, and some federal stimulus funds. Other parts of the project include a new water main along River Street, which was paid for with federal stimulus funds, and new water mains along Summer Street. In all, there were eight different projects.  •   The new concrete and steel tank is built right next to the old hut which was located at the top of the ski hill, said Strong, pointing out the crumbled remains of the hut.  •   Strong said the tank will bring the town up to accepted minimum standards of 35 pounds per square inch; there are many homes in town that have their own auxiliary pumps to increase the pressure inside their homes.  •   He said the new tank will allow the town to decommission the water department’s tank in North Springfield. There are two other large tanks on the water system, he said, one behind Springfield High School and the other off Summer Street, on the edge of Hartness Park.  •   NatGun Corp. of Wakefield, Mass., is constructing the tank and is making the concrete and steel panels on site. The panels were just erected recently.  •   Each of the 16 wall panels that make up the tank are 45 feet, 6 inches tall and 12 feet wide and 5 1/2 inches thick, and each weighs 19 ton. There are 24 different pieces in the roof, each weighing 3 tons. said John Holroyd of NatGun.  •   He said that the panels will be joined together with a special concrete grout, and then circled with about 20 miles of heavy cable, or 1,000 circles around the tank. A giant crane, rated to move 275 tons, moved the giant panels into place, he said. The crane itself cost $1.9 million, he said.  •   Holroyd said that NatGun, which used to be called National Gunite, has made these kind of water thanks for years, and it works all over the country. It currently is building a similar, but much bigger tank at 10 million gallons, in Essex Junction.  •   NatGun has been working on the tank for about six weeks, Holroyd said, and expects to finish its work in August.  •   Strong said he expected the new tank to be on line in October, noting that is when Springfield residents can expect an improvement in their water pressure.  •   Ironically, some parts of town have very high water pressure, which can damage the pipes in the home and water heaters. The town is also installing some pressure-reducing “valve vaults” to address that problem.  •   “And the view is free,” Strong said.  •