New water tower progressing rapidly

by Angie Asam, Staff Writer

As part of the many upgrades to the water and sewer system in Rogers City through a loan with the United States Department of Agriculture ? Rural Development (USDA-RD) a new ball in the sky is going up in Rogers City. A new 400,000-gallon water storage tank is being constructed on Park Drive. The new tank will replace the old 150,000-gallon water tower on Doris Lane, which was built in 1928.

?One of the reasons we decided to get a new tower was fire protection. It is recommended that a city have at least one-day worth of water in storage. We average 384,000 gallons used per day,? said water superintendent Chuck Kieliszewski. CB&I, formerly Chicago Bridge and Iron, crews have been rapidly progressing on the tower. Last Thursday the entire height of the structure went up throughout the day. The exterior welding of the tower was done over the weekend and Monday the crews began working on erecting the ball, or actual tank. The tank has to be completed by the end of July and it is looking like its completion will come much sooner than that.

Even though the tower must be completed this summer it is unlikely it will go into use for a while as contracts with cell phone and internet providers who have equipment on the old tower must be fulfilled and the new tank has to be connected to the system, while the old is disconnected.

Once the new tower is operational, the old tower will be drained and taken down. The current tower would not stand without water in it and there will be no need for the old, smaller storage tank once the new one is online. The tower will be taken down and the city will have to then make a decision on what to do with the property on Doris Lane. The 400,000-gallon Waterspheriod tank will stand five-feet taller than the old tank, as well as leave a much smaller footprint. The tank has low capital and maintenance costs, enhanced safety and security and convenient storage. The tank is all steel and all-welded and offers an extremely long life with some structures in service for more than 100 years.

CB&I constructed its first elevated water storage tank in 1894 and has now become a global leader in the design and construction of them. In the 1930s they pioneered the transition to welded steel tanks and developed the original Watersphere in 1939 before the larger Watershperiod in 1954. Since then they have been improving the concept to what it has become today.

Since 1894 CB&I has built more than 2

5,000 water tanks and they are one of few companies with the capability to self perform all facets of a water storage project. They are with the project from start to finish as they design it, construct the foundation, fabricate the tank, construct it and then do all painting and coating maintenance. ?The CB&I crew is excellent. They are good to work with and do an excellent job putting up towers,? said Kieliszewski. Other features of the new tank included unhindered maintenance access, a freshmix circulation system and a more pleasing appearance. The new tower will also blend well with its surroundings.

All the access ladders to the tower are located inside the tower, including an access tube through the storage tank and to the top of the tower. A tower similar to the tower going up in Rogers City can be seen at Michigan?s Adventure in Muskegon, although it is a little larger at 500,000 gallons, it was also constructed by CB&I.

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