City Council voted to approve the project at an Oct. 24 meeting. The water plant has both a ground storage tank that can hold up to 1 million gallons of drinking water and an elevated storage tank that can hold an additional 500,000 gallons.
The rehabilitation has several elements as outlined in project documents prepared by ARKK Engineers. Work is scheduled to begin by the end of November, City Engineer David Kasper said.
Works include replacing the floor of the ground storage tank, performing mechanical repairs, recoating the exterior and interior of the ground and elevated storage tanks, re-coating the yard piping on two wells and a nearby fire hydrant, pressure-washing and overcoating the existing control building, and other minor repairs.
A $1.1 million construction contract awarded to N.G. Painting, professional design and an engineering inspection priced at $118,680 and an estimated $63,800 for a mural to be later-painted on the elevated tank make up the total cost of the project. The project will be paid for by the city’s enterprise reserves fund.
This facility is operated and maintained by the city’s water department, which distributes Katy residents’ water. In Katy, drinking water is obtained from underground aquifers through wells, which extract water through pipes to store inside tanks at water treatment facilities.
According to the department’s website, Katy contracts with and pays the West Harris County Regional Water Authority and th eBluebonnet Groundwater Conservation District for water pumped from Harris, Fort Bend and Waller counties.
The water department also maintains the city’s mains, valves, fire hydrants, water taps and meters, water wells, and booster pump stations.
A separate project will lower the water well deeper into the ground—this is set to begin by the second week in November. This item will be discussed at a future meeting, City Attorney Arthur Pertile, III said at the Oct. 24 meeting.
