Evaluation of Building New Water Tank at Current or Alternative Site

The Greendale water tank needs to be replaced and the Village’s Public Works Committee is currently evaluating the advantages and disadvantages of moving the water tank to a different site or keeping it at the current location.

The Village is evaluating where the new tank should be constructed, the size of the tank and the style of it. The current tank is at the northeast intersection of Tower Road and Euston Street.

The present tank was constructed in 1937. Right now there is poor access for operation and maintenance and the tank has been leaking. A 2010 evaluation determined that the coating system was in fair to poor condition. The tank has exceeded the typical service life and needs to be replaced ASAP, according to a memo from Kaempfer & Associates, Inc. Consulting Engineers to the Village.

The consultant engineer determined that building a new tank on the current site would be more expensive than building it at a different site. Another determined suitable location is between Parkview Road and Westway. The alternative site has 1.80 acres available and the existing site has .23 acres to construct.

In the memo the engineer says that, “Ideally the new storage tank would be constructed before the demolish of the old one. Demolishing the storage tank after a new one is constructed on the existing site would be $12,000 to $15,000 more expensive than demolishing the existing tank with the new tank constructed on a new site."

The current tank is small fitting 410,000 gallons and it may be necessary to acquire additional property to build a needed larger tank. It could cost an additional $30,000 to $50,000 in appraisals and legal services to keep it at the current location.

The size of the elevated storage tank will depend on the level of service that the Milwaukee Water Works is willing to provide to the Village. The minimum size elevated storage tank would be 500,000 gallons and the maximum size would be 1,250,000 gallons.  There are four esthetic styles the Village can choose but will depend on the size of the tank.

Painting the elevated storage tank during the construction and in the future will be difficult due to the close proximity of the adjacent residential development, according to the memo that speaks about the current site.

"Constructing a new elevated storage tank at the site of the existing elevated storage tank is estimated to cost between $200,000 to $450,000 more than constructing a new elevated storage tank at the proposed new site," the engineer said in the memo. "The actual cost difference will depend on the size of the elevated storage tank, the soil bearing capacity at the site, and the style of the elevated storage tank."

Below are the estimate cost differences between the two sites:

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