Water tank relining project delayed
Sep. 28—A relining project that started earlier this month at the Limber Road water tank has been postponed indefinitely, according to Meadville Area Water Authority (MAWA) officials.
Project Manager Bob Harrington said the work, which was expected to take two to three weeks when it began Sept. 12, likely will be completed next year.
The work was halted when the authority was unable to effectively regulate the pressure on the network of water lines in the surrounding area.
"We need to do another hydraulic study and take a look at some other pumping options," Harrington said Monday. "Given that it's temperature and weather dependent, we probably won't do it until next year at this point."
When the $83,000 project was approved in April, Harrington explained that the tower would be out of service while a spray-on epoxy was applied to its interior, but water service would be maintained. The plan was to run pumps serving the area constantly with six "pop-off" pressure relief valves installed on nearby hydrants to prevent the system from being over-pressurized while maintaining service. In June, the MAWA board approved the purchase of six valves for use in the project at a cost of $13,000.
The hydraulic modeling plan that identified where to install the pop-off valves, however, did not produce the anticipated results.
"We were hoping for steady pressure of 140 (pounds per square inch) when the pump was running," Harrington said. "We kept exceeding that pressure and as you know the system is old and doesn't tolerate great pressure swings."
A variety of factors could have contributed to the inaccurate modeling, according to Harrington, including the age of the system and the age of the data used to create the hydraulic model as well as changes to the system in recent years.
The authority's consulting engineer will undertake another study of the system near the tank. Once the project can proceed, residents in the area will be notified again. When the project is underway, MAWA customers on the north end of the city above Deissler Court could experience fluctuations in water pressure. The water tower is located just south of the intersection of Limber and Hamilton roads.
The work will be performed by Liquid Engineering Corporation of Billings, Montana. The same firm cleaned and inspected both the Limber Road and the Hillcrest tanks last year The inspection of the Limber tower revealed deficiencies in the lining. The project will also include the installation of a 30-inch secondary hatch in the tank, which Harrington said is a new requirement for water towers.
The new lining, which consists of a spray-on epoxy, is expected to extend the life of the tower, maintain water quality and help prevent accumulation of debris inside the tank, according to Harrington.
During a MAWA board meeting last week, engineer Tom Thompson said a pending grant application that would help fund the project "looks pretty good" but a final determination isn't expected until March.
Harrington said the delay would not affect the cost of the project.
Mike Crowley can be reached at (814) 724-6370 or by email at mcrowley@meadvilletribune.com.
