At a height of 165 feet, West Hempstead Water District (WHWD) has a new water tower that’s just about ready to start providing water to over 8,000 households. The District, which provides an uninterrupted supply of quality drinking water to residents of West Hempstead, and parts of Franklin Square, Garden City South and Cathedral Gardens is witnessing a milestone moment as their 1,000,000-gallon steel ‘bowl’ has been successfully hoisted to the top of the new water tower and locked into place. The eight-hour process began on January 8th, and concluded that afternoon with the steel ‘bowl’ erected high in the sky overlooking the District and parts of Nassau County. The new and vibrant tower can be seen from miles away.
West Hempstead Water District started to plan for the new tower in 2013 after comprehensive studies and an evaluation of the existing tank’s condition were completed. It was determined that a new tank was the most cost-effective solution as the current tank had reached the end of its useful life. Water tanks designed today are more resilient, easier to maintain and better equipped to optimize water pressure during times of peak demand and fire emergencies. Replacing the Birch Street tank now, with one that meets today’s stringent safety and structural standards, will ensure that District consumers will continue to receive an uninterrupted supply of the highest quality water possible.
“This is quite an event for the District,” commented Chairman of the Board C. John Sparacio. “Our consumers are seeing their bond dollars at work as the tower is now in place. The West Hempstead Water District will have a new landmark tank which will hold 250,000 gallons of water more than the previous tank, which ironically was constructed almost 80 years ago to the day!”
“One of the major benefits of this design is that the tank can go 20 to 25 years without any major maintenance or refurbishing,” added West Hempstead Water District Superintendent Robert P. York. “The previous tank needed maintenance every 10 years. This is an incredible cost savings to our tax payers and this new tank will stand the test of time.”
Once complete and online, this concrete pedestal tank, more commonly known as a composite tank, will be the first of its kind on Long Island.
The Town of Hempstead approved an $8.4 million bond on April 25, 2017 to finance District upgrades including replacing the previous 225-foot-tall tower. The District used $6.9 million of the bonding to construct the new tower. $264,000 was earmarked for the development of a new caustic tank, which will have a 6,000-gallon capacity. The remaining balance of the bond will be used to upgrade security throughout the District with new alarm systems and security cameras. District parking lots will be repaved, and there will be upgrades to District pump stations.
-Gary Cucchi
