The growing population in western Pflugerville has led to City Council to approve moving forward with requests for proposals out for a 1.5-million gallon aboveground water storage tank.

Assistant City Manager Tom Word said residents who previously got their water from Manville Water Supply Corporation will soon be getting it from Pflugerville instead, and anticipated population growth would drive the need for water reserves.

Because water storage tanks are high in demand, Word estimated it would take about 480 days to complete the project. He said the tank—which would be constructed on South Heatherwilde Blvd. and cost around $6 million—was needed sooner than that.

He recommended—and City Council approved—requesting proposals for bids based on the amount of time a contractor expects to finish the project as well as the proposed cost.

Word said to incentivize contractors, the request for proposal would compare bids, and for each day the contractor offers to complete the project earlier than 480 days, $1,000 will be subtracted from the total cost.

“I think it’s a remarkably good approach,” said City Manager Brandon Wade. “I wouldn’t suggest we do this on all sorts of projects, but under the circumstances, I would.”