On April 3, City Council approved a resolution for the city manager to enter an agreement for the purchase of land from the city of Boerne, in the amount of $543,628.
City Manager Scott Huizenga said the plans for an elevated water storage have been in the works since around 2008, and he is hopeful the project will begin within the next year.
“This is a really big day for us,” he said. “A project that has been in the works for nearly 20 years from concept to where we are now. We are really excited to have the identified site in place that we can finally proceed on this project and work on a long term pressure and storage solution for the city.”
The need
The National Fire Protection Association standards call for 1,000 gallons per minute of pressure to fight a house fire, Huizenga said.
Huizenga said there are some parts of the city that are around half of that required pressure, making the elevated water storage a need for the city.
“The primary need from our standpoint is ensuring that we have enough water pressure for fire fighting,” he said.
The elevated storage tank will also meet the standards set by the Texas Commission for Environmental Quality, which requires pressure to prevent the accumulation of sediment and other materials that could cause potential health issues for residents.
“An elevated storage tank stores a lot of water and, via gravity, it creates pressure in the system to distribute the water faster,” Huizenga said.
The city currently uses hydropneumatic pumps, which are mechanical air pressure systems. Huizenga said this system is relatively inefficient for meeting pressure needs.
Mayor Greg Maxton said another issue with hydropneumatic pumps is the system being electrical.
When the city loses electricity, it prevents water from being distributed throughout the community, and with the elevated water storage, that will be less of a concern.
“Gravity continues to work during cold weather,” Maxton said. “So, we would keep water flow going to our residents during those times of emergency.”
About the project
The storage tank is expected to hold 500,000 gallons of water, and come at a construction cost of around $8.8 million.
Funding for the project will come from utility impact fees alongside certificates of obligation bond debt approved by City Council.
Huizenga said the project property benefits both Boerne and Fair Oaks Ranch since the two municipalities pull water from the Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority.
“The two cities could co-locate to their transfer sites between the utilities and provide that access point to our respective cities,” he said. “That is the reason that we chose this site and chose to go into this initiative together.”
Looking ahead
Director of Public Works and Engineering Services Grant Watanabe said the closing on the property is expected in the next couple of months, and the design is expected to take around six months. Construction is expected to begin in the next fiscal year.
