City of Weiser to rehabilitate one of its water reservoirs

Published by admin on Tue, 06/27/2023 - 10:20pm

The water reservoir above, located north of Rolling Hills Golf course, is one of three the City of Weiser uses to store water, which ultimately ends up in residents’ homes, local businesses, schools, etc. Built sometime in the 1950s, it is in need of rehabilitation. Work on the project will begin soon, Viking Painting, LLC stripping off old paint and applying new coats that will prevent the metal structure’s walls from corroding. Photo by Philip A. Janquart
By: 
Philip A. Janquart

The project will ensure continued safety and health for residents of Weiser

 The City of Weiser has three water holding reservoirs and one of them is in need of rehabilitation.

 To that end, the Weiser City Council recently accepted a $1.038 million bid to have the work completed in what the city is calling its Reservoir 1 Corrosion Mitigation Project.
 A second bid was received, but presented a $1.9 million price tag for the work, according to city documents.
 Councilmembers accepted the lower bid from Viking Painting, LLC during a June 12 regular meeting. Based out of La Vista, Neb., the company specializes in water tank cleaning and inspection, and painting and repairs.
 The storage reservoir needing work is located on Valley View Dr., directly north of Rolling Hills Golf Course. It stands 28 feet tall and is 100 feet in diameter.
 According to Water Department Supervisor, Bill Taylor, it was built sometime in the 1950s and is primarily in need of new paint. Paint acts as a barrier between what ultimately becomes the city’s fresh drinking water and the metal reservoir where it is stored. Water tanks typically corrode over time when the paint begins breaking down.
 The process generally involves removing the old paint, preparing the structure for repainting, and applying fresh coats to the its surfaces.
 Typical reservoir rehabilitation projects involve a multiple-coat, high-build zinc-epoxy process, which includes primer, stripe, intermediate, and finish coats.
 “The bulk of the rehabilitation involves fresh paint, but there will also be some structural repairs and upgrades,” Taylor said, adding that the job is not the same as repainting your living room or kitchen.
 “It’s a matter of safety and health,” he said, adding that the funds for the project were anticipated beforehand and were added to the city’s general budget in advance.
 As one might expect, the reservoir will need to be drained so the work can be completed.
 “We will use it up, but the last little bit we will probably have to let go,” Taylor said. “But we’ll use probably three quarters of it in the system. We’ll just let the tanks go down low and let the town use all the water up, and then we’ll switch to the other tank and finish draining it out.”
 Taylor said that Viking will have 180 days to complete the project.
 “It can start anytime,” he noted. “They have to get it done before winter, though, because once it gets below a certain temperature, you can’t get the paint to cure.”
 In order to access the reservoir’s interior, the company will need to cut a hole in its side.
 “They will have all kinds of different equipment in there – scissor lift, man-baskets, and probably even skid steers because they are taking it all down to the bare metal.”
 

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Signal American

18 E. Idaho St.
Weiser, ID 83672
PH: (208) 549-1717
FAX: (208) 549-1718
 

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