Massive water tower taking shape

HAYDEN — It's not a monolith from outer space.

Nor is it a multi-zillion dollar abode for rich newcomers to North Idaho.

That big new thing going up on U.S. 95 and Lacey Avenue is actually the 2 million gallon water tower approved by Hayden-area voters in 2019. And it's nearing completion.

Getting the tank — literally — off the ground has taken over two decades, said Brandon Rose, Hayden Lake Irrigation District Administrator. 

Rose, who has served as administrator for eight years, said the structure had to jump through several hoops before the project could become an actuality. 

Due to the tower’s 161-foot height and proximity to the Coeur d’Alene Airport, Rose said the district looked at nine different locations before choosing a site on Lacey Avenue. Of the nine locations, the placement just west of U.S. 95 was the only one not opposed by the Federal Aviation Administration and already district-owned. 

“Being so close to the airport, we were challenged about where we could put a tank and not interrupt the airport approaches,” Rose said. “It’s taken us 23 years to get this tank in and approved by the FAA.”

So if they were only going to get “one chance” to build the water tower, it was going to be big, he said — a mindset evident by the 100-foot diameter foundation made of concrete and rebar. 

Hayden voters approved a $6.8 million bond measure to help finance the tower, which was projected to cost about $8.8 million, according to ballot language.

The new tank will serve the over 7,000 district patrons and replace the present 75,000-gallon tank that needs repair. Having a much larger tank relieves customers from the every-other-day watering schedule many have abided by for years. 

Still, Rose recommended users be mindful of their water consumption. 

“If you water every day, your roots stay shallow. If you water every other day and make the grass starve for water, the roots will go deeper,” he said. “I would recommend people conserve the resource because it is precious, and we don’t want to run out.” 

Rose noted that a larger tank also means 500,000 gallons of water reserved for fire flow, which the district currently does not have. 

“If a fire does happen in the area, people won’t see an impact, even if the fire department comes in,” Rose said. “Right now, it would cause another pump to come on, and users would be operating at a lower pressure or possibly run out of water. 

“It is very exciting.”  

The tank is only slightly behind schedule due to concrete shortages and shipping delays, Rose said.

“It’s hard to get anything shipped right now, so we are short on a few little items," mainly because of COVID supply shortages, he explained.

“That has caused us to be behind by maybe a month,” he said.

The water tower should be operational in July 2022 after the tank interior and exterior coating are sandblasted, primed, coated and raised. In the meantime, project builders will place the lower portion on top of the foundation and wait until the warm weather returns next year to paint the top.

“The coating is almost a quarter to 3 inches thick, so it takes a lot more tending and heat to cure,” Rose said.  

Getting the heavy tank into the air is a process in itself, Rose noted. 

“They build the tank on the ground, for the most part, then 39 six-ton jacks will raise it about 110 feet over eight hours,” he said. “Then a magnetic robot will weld everything together. It is a very intense system.”