Project Overview
Prior to this project, the City of Montrose operated a 3 million gallon below-grade water storage tank on Sunset Mesa approximately 500 feet east of the baseball field complex. The old tank, built around 1960, was assessed in 2014 and was determined to be structurally compromised and in need of $1 to $2 million in repairs. The tank had also experienced pressure and operational issues due to its relatively low elevation and increases in water demand over the years. As a result of the tank’s condition, it was isolated from the city’s water distribution system and was only being used to store water for irrigation of the Sunset Mesa sports fields.
In September of 2018, the city hired Farnsworth Group to perform a detailed evaluation of tank alternatives and prepare construction plans for a replacement tank. Through this process, the city selected the preferred and most economical tank alternative as twin 1.5 million gallon standpipe tanks, approximately 130 feet tall. The first of these two tanks, with its associated piping and booster pump station, was constructed under this project. The new tank matches the hydraulic grade line of the system, meaning it can be filled entirely by gravity (without the use of any pumps) and does not require any pumping under typical operating conditions to supply water back into the distribution system.
