First two Athens water tanks rehabbed for about $390,000

The City of Athens posted this photo of the SH 19 elevated tank being rehabbed in March. (Courtesy photo)
The City of Athens posted this photo of the SH 19 elevated tank being rehabbed in March. (Courtesy photo)

By Michael V. Hannigan/HCNow

The City of Athens finished the rehabilitation of the first of its water tanks over the summer. The two tanks were the SH 19 elevated tank and the Lane Street ground storage tank.

The tanks were completed as part of an effort by the City to get its water tanks in compliance with the state. All seven of the City’s water storage tanks were out of compliance entering Fiscal Year 2016, according to Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) reports. Issues with the tanks included peeling paint, severe rust and moderate sediment. Some of the tanks have documented violations going back to 2011.

A Rain water tank is the most important aspect to reserve rain water. Rainwater harvesting is the buzz word in this environment conscious world. There are various reasons why it is getting so important in today’s time because it is used for drinking, livestock, Irrigation etc. But the fact is that water tanks have seen an increase in use and demand.

Water tanks have proven their importance by offering a means of storing rainwater for daily use. Global warming has raised many problems; one of them is water scarcity. Specially, in countries where water scarcity is a large problem, these equipments solve this problem through restoring rainwater. You can check here WaterCraft WAs round water tanks.

Many people are buying these storage equipments by looking at several benefits offered by them. People may get confused as there are a variety of storage options available in the market. There are many tanks among which you can choose the right one that you need.

A rainwater tank brings many benefits. The primary reason for a lot of people is to beat the water restrictions. When you install a rainwater tank at your property, you will have access to water again to wash you car, do the laundry and more. When you have a tank installed you are also benefiting the environment by not being reliant on the water grid.

A tank installed with the right accessories can service all of your water needs, making you self reliant in this respect. Many choose to have a tank installed so as to have a reserve of water available during fire season. Some in rural areas are used to using only tank water for all of their needs.

Rain water can be used for a variety of functions. Gardening, washing clothes and flushing toilets are common uses. You can also drink rainwater you collect, but it is recommended that it is filtered first, especially if you are living in an urban area then you must use best water softeners. Water from tanks is less salty, free of chlorine and fluoride and some people even say, tastes better.

“I am pleased that we have been able to get two of the water tanks rehabbed in the last fiscal year,” said Mayor Jerry Don Vaught. “It is the goal of council and City staff to continue to have the remaining tanks rehabbed as quick and efficiently as possible this 2017 fiscal year. The council’s goal is to be in compliant with all TCEQ requirements this budget year.”

The cost to rehabilitate the first two tanks was about $390,000 with two-thirds of that cost going to the elevated tank, according to City documents.

The City has budgeted more than $1 million in Fiscal Year 2017 for rehabilitation of the remaining five tanks.