High System Water Tank

The City of Spokane and the Washington Department of Health have confirmed the need for a new reservoir in Spokane’s South Hill/Lincoln Heights pressure zone. The additional reservoir will ensure adequate supplies of water for drinking, indoor household uses, fire protection, and irrigation for residents who live on Spokane's South Hill.

Project Number: 2017108

Status: Construction

Construction Estimate: $9,842,000

Project Description: Construct new 2 million gallon elevated steel and concrete water reservoir.

Project Location(s) and Schedule

  • Hamblen Elementary at Thurston & Crestline 2121 E. Thurston Ave., Spokane, WA 99203

Crews will be in the area during the scheduled time frame. All schedules are approximate and dependent on weather and unforeseen delays. Once the contract has been awarded, contractors will be responsible for setting and maintaining the schedule for the work to be done. If you have questions regarding the construction schedule or the work being done, please contact the contractor’s public representative. Contractors are required to provide two business day’s notice to a homeowner/business if the homeowner/business owner’s property will be directly impacted by the work. This includes access issues. The contractor will do its best to minimize impacts on the public, but unforeseen circumstances may result in the need to temporarily revise traffic restrictions. For everyone’s safety, please obey all traffic signs.

Construction Zone Details

  • Planned Detours: Yes – as needed throughout construction
  • Planned Lane Restrictions: Yes – as needed throughout construction
  • Planned Road Closures: Yes – as needed throughout construction
  • Planned Utility Work: To be determined
  • Pavement Cut Moratorium in Effect: Yes

Note: The contractor will do its best to minimize impacts on the public, but unforeseen circumstances may result in the need to temporarily revise traffic restrictions. For everyone’s safety, please obey all traffic signs.

Construction Start Date: June 15, 2023

Construction Completed Date: 2025

Contract Award Date: March 29, 2023

Contractor: Landmark Structures

City Project Manager - Design Phase: Rich Proszek, 509.625.6700, rproszek@spokanecity.org

City Project Manager - Construction Phase: Mark Melnick, 509.625.7774, mmelnick@spokanecity.org

Project Update – Oct. 31, 2022

On Oct. 26, 2022, Engineering Services conducted a public meeting for a conditional use permit.

View the presentation slides (PDF 2.6 MB) from the meeting.

Location Requirements

Water tank locations must meet the following specifications:

  • Location must be a minimum of one and ideally two acres
  • Location should be relatively flat
  • Location must be at an acceptable elevation (ideally 2380 or above)
  • Location should be near the center of the pressure zone
  • Location should be located within six blocks of a transmission main, and ideally closer
  • Top of tank must match the tops level of the other South Hill tanks

Tank Design Requirements

Water tank design must meet the following specifications:

  • 100' in height (height requirements varies by location)
  • 100' in diameter
  • 50'-60' diameter base
  • 2 million gallon capacity

What Locations Have Been Considered?

In 2020, a dozen potential site locations were identified in the South Hill/Lincoln Heights pressure zone that met the design requirements. A list of those sites, along with the selection criteria for each site, can be viewed online. Through careful consideration of public input (public meetings and surveys), the City has been able to narrow down the list of potential sites to the three most viable locations: Hamblen Elementary, 37th Avenue, and 31st and Napa. While it is not necessary to meet all site selection criteria, costs increase for each criteria which is not met. That is, the more site selection criteria that are met, the less costs that will be incurred by the City's water rate payers.

Renderings

FAQs – Updated Nov. 1, 2022

Related Documents


Project Survey

The City received 847 responses to the Proposed South Hill Water Reservoir public survey. Eighty-five percent of the survey respondents reside in the South Hill area.

Out of 847 responses, 476 respondents selected Hamblen Elementary as their first choice for the location of the water tank, while only 188 selected 31st and Napa as their first choice and only 183 selected 37th Avenue as their first choice. As such, Hamblen Elementary received the highest ranked choice score.

View an explanation on how Survey Monkey performs ranked choice calculations.

Thank you for taking the time to read about the project and provide us with your feedback.

Ask a Question or Leave Feedback

Email your questions or comments to highsystemtank@spokanecity.org.

To review the list of answers to frequently asked questions, see South Hill/Lincoln Heights Water Tank FAQs (PDF 781 KB).