500,000-Gallon Elevated Storage Tank - Westador Municipal Utility District
Location: North Harris County, Texas
Construction Cost: $842,900
Engineer: Kenneth J. Martinec, P.E.
Completion Date: May 2001
Jones & Carter, Inc. served as the design and construction management engineer for the Westador Municipal Utility District - 500,000 Gallon EST. The scope of the project included construction of an EST on an existing water plant site, modifications of the plant piping and booster pump control modifications.
The client had an existing EST. Upon inspection of the EST it was determined that the tank was in poor condition. The interior and exterior of the tank were moderately corroded and in need of recoating. The existing coating system contained more than the allowable amount of lead. Therefore, the cost of recoating, including lead abatement plus the limited amount of useful life of the tank prompted us to explore other options.
We conducted an analysis including the client's desired aesthetic features of the tank, construction cost of the project, and maintenance cost over the life of the facility. The type of EST that was chosen was a composite tank that includes a concrete pedestal and a steel bowl. The designed operation of the tank includes two (2) pneumatically controlled altitude valves along with a primary and secondary fill line. This design maximizes the head range of the elevated storage facility while improving the water quality by creating circulation inside the bowl.
Due to the changes in the water supply needs of the client an analysis of the waterline network was conducted. This was done to ensure that the final height of the tank would match the existing and future conditions of the water supply system.
The project site contained many trees that were approximately 100 feet in height. The project was designed with special care to preserve as many of the trees as possible. Special measures included temporarily relocating an existing 400 kW generator and fuel tank during the construction phase and matching the allowed contract time to the conditions of the site.