1.5 Million Gallon Madera Valley Elevated Water Tank

Madera Valley Water first began serving approximately only 75 households in 1977, but has grown over the last forty years to serve over 1,900. With the significant growth of their system and realization that continuous pumping to provide pressure to its customers was not a viable solution, they began planning for their first elevated water storage tank more than a decade ago.

In viewing elevated tanks of adjacent communities, Madera Valley Water Company was attracted to the clean vertical architectural lines of the “all-steel”, single-pedestal fluted-column type structure. Additionally, the larger diameter base of this tank style lends itself to a more economical design for the higher seismic conditions of California.

The water company resolved to add a 1,500,000 gallon capacity tank, 144′-0 to the top capacity line with a 40′-0 head range to serve their current and future water capacity and pressure demands. More importantly based on Madera Valley’s conservative estimate for constructing an elevated tank over continuous pumping, they are anticipating to realize $2.41 million dollars in maintenance and operations savings in their system over the next twenty years in addition to lessening the impact of rising energy costs by filling the tank off peak of electricity demand. Furthermore, the new elevated tank would much improve the reliability for fire flow in the system.

In addition to the engineering, fabrication and construction of the all-steel, fluted column style elevated tank, the scope of work included design and construction of a spread footer foundation with ground improvement as a more economical alternative to a deep pile foundation; shop priming and field paint of the structure; design and installation of a zero operating cost in-tank mixing system to reduce microbial growth and related tastes and odors; and installation of electrical lighting. Madera Valley additionally elected to showcase their water company name on the side of the tank with their city logo as the tank sits at the base of the Sierra Mountains.

This tank promotes and demonstrates the flexibility and aesthetics of welded steel tanks in high seismic regions while dually reducing operations and maintenance costs as well as improved fire flow while serving Madera Valley – likely longer than its forty-plus years that the water company has been in existence.