Route 58’s water tower has been wearing a full-length shroud — actually a protective shield that allows contractors for the Riverhead Water District to remove the 55-year-old water tower’s original exterior coating, make any necessary structural repairs, and apply a new weather-resistant coating to the structure.
The coating is essential because it protects the tower from rusting and corrosion, which in extreme circumstances could eventually even lead to a collapse.
The 147-foot-tall Route 58 Elevated Storage Tank, the water tower’s official name, was built in 1968 and is vital to making sure water district customers have a steady supply of clean water, especially during the peak-demand summer months. The tank is 66.5 feet in diameter and holds 750,000 gallons of water.
“It’s being completely rehabilitated,” Riverhead Water District Superintendent Frank Mancini said.
The shroud was needed to create a climate-controlled environment for the work, protecting the structure from sun and rain while work is underway. It is also needed to protect the environment since the original exterior coating contains lead. Blasting creates dust and if the dust contains lead, it presents a hazard.
There is no lead on the inside of the tank or in the drinking water, Mancini stressed.
The first step in the process is blasting off the old coating.
“The old coating was failing, and metal was exposed,” Mancini said. “That was the rusty color.”
Once the old coating is removed, workers can see where rust corroded the metal and replace segments of it as needed.
Right now, the water district is working on the tower’s legs, cables, and supports. After any required structural work is done, they will receive a fresh coating to protect the structure from the elements.
Work on the water tank itself will wait until fall — after the peak demand season, when, Mancini says, customer demand goes from 3 million gallons per day to nearly 20 million. The tank has to be empty for the work to be done on it, so it will have to be taken out of service, something the district can’t do until the off-season. Work on the tank will likely require months to complete, Mancini said.
As with the supports, the tank will need to be blasted, inspected and repaired, then recoated to protect it from the elements.
The project cost is $2,666,575, Mancini said.
Then the district must conduct water analyses of water held in the tank. “There’s an enormous amount of sampling that happens afterwards, to make sure that you’re not only free of bacteria, but also any chemicals in the paints,” Mancini said. Sampling alone takes weeks.
The rehabilitation of the Route 58 tower is not the only project that the water district has in the works. It is planning to build 2.5-million-gallon storage tank in Wading River, which will help the district keep up with the summer surge in demand in that area of the district.
The projects are part of the Riverhead Water District’s adopted capital improvement plan.
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