Gateway to Hayden: One big water tank

HAYDEN — A 2 million gallon water tank will loom 161 feet above the earth and greet motorists on U.S. 95 as they enter Hayden from the north.

Building the tower was approved at an election last week in which fewer than 3 percent of water customers approved a $2 million bond measure to build the tower. The project will not raise property taxes in the water district.

Its completion in 2021 will ensure 7,200 users of the Hayden Lake Irrigation District will have uninterrupted flows.

By a margin of 111-63, 174 district voters determined the outcome of the election at the Hayden Irrigation District office on the 2800 block of West Dakota Avenue.

District Administrator Branden Rose said the district will go out to bid on the project in May with groundbreaking next summer in a field owned by the district at East Lacey and U.S. 95.

The project initially had difficulty getting off the ground because the district was unable to find a suitable location for the tower that would not interfere with air traffic.

After years of trying to find a place for the tank, the district decided to build on its own property. The site was FAA-approved but despite lowering the tank’s height, airport officials said having a large tank there would disturb air traffic.

The tank may prevent slower and smaller aircraft — the airport’s bread and butter — from landing in bad weather.

“It negatively impacts the airport,” airport director Steven Kjergaard said.

In addition, Hayden city officials didn’t want the tank in a prominent location. Having the tank toss an evening shadow across the main highway into town — the city’s northern gateway — is aesthetically unpleasant.

“It’s so front and center,” said Melissa Cleveland, Hayden’s community development director. “It’s not an ideal location.”

But it’s coming anyway.

Rose said construction will require building a foundation 15 feet deep and 100 feet in diameter.

“It’s solid concrete,” Rose said.

Once completed, the tower will be smaller than the city’s 3 million gallon tank near Wilbur Avenue, but more visible.

Water users, who are on an every-other-day lawn watering schedule because of low capacity, will no longer be limited in their water use when the tank is up and running.

The water district serves two schools — another one is planned — an area Hospice and several care facilities for the elderly, Rose said.

Future plans for the district include replacing the 27-inch steel and concrete water main under Lacey Avenue, using available district funds.