UC Davis workers plan to demolish Domestic Water Tower No. 2 - located west of Highway 113 - next week following the recent start-up of a new 300,000 gallon ground-level water tank near the campus airport.
The 100,000-gallon water tower, located south of Brooks Road, is about 150 feet tall with an exterior lead-based paint coating system that is corroding badly, said David Phillips, a facilities services water and waste services manager.
The tower was erected in 1967. Demolition is scheduled for the morning of Sept. 25.
Campus planners had initially planned to sandblast Tower No. 2 and repaint it, Phillips said. "But they found it was actually less expensive to build a new tank and tear down the old tower," he said.
Ground tanks and towers both provide water storage to meet peak demands and help maintain consistent water pressures. Given their lower construction costs and lower profile, ground tanks are now typically chosen for new construction in the area, Phillips said.
Once the decision to build a ground tank was made, the Utilities Division decided to revisit both the size and location of the tank. Computer modeling indicated that a larger tank located near the airport would significantly enhance the flow of fire-fighting water across the campus, Phillips said. With these findings in hand, campus funds were used to upsize the tank to allow for future growth in the west campus, he said. The $782,000 project cost includes the construction of the new tank and demolition of the old.
"This project highlights the benefits of creative infrastructure planning. We leveraged a simple maintenance task into a more cost-effective project that greatly improved our campus water system."
The proposed project went through an environmental review and public comment period last year.
In 2000, the university chose to recoat and repaint Domestic Water Tower No. 1 - which now carries the UC Davis logo and welcomes visitors at the south campus entry.
The $730,000 project included encasing the entire tower with plastic wrap to contain the lead paint and took several months to complete. "Water Tower No. 1 continues to serve an important role in maintaining reliable water service to the campus," Phillips said. He added that a decision has not yet been made regarding the fate of the rusting Utility Tower No. 1, located near the Dairy Barn.
There are two separate water systems on campus - the domestic system supplies water to buildings and fire hydrants, and the utility system supplies landscape irrigation.
Demolition of Domestic Water Tower No. 2 should be relatively quick, he said. The process will begin by draining all water from the tower and establishing a safe boundary around the tower. Two of the four legs will then be cut, and the tower will be pulled over in a southerly direction to an agricultural field.
Very little of the existing coating is expected to be disturbed, Phillips said. But a lead consultant will collect soil samples before and after demolition of the tower, and any soils affected by the process will be remediated.
For more information, contact Phillips at 754-8214.