SPRINGDALE -- The Planning Commission on Tuesday voted 9-0 to approve a new water tower for west Springdale, designed to serve the area's needs into 2045.
Springdale Water Utilities will build a 130-foot, 3 million-gallon tank at 2338 S. 40th St., behind the First Church of the Nazarene.
The tower is part of a bigger project to deliver water to the western parts of the city, said Heath Ward, executive director of the water utility. The utility also will install two 48-inch pressurized pipelines to carry water from the west side pumping station planned along Arkansas 612 by the Beaver Water District.
Utility officials said the project is essential to cover the potable water needs of the growing city. Some residents in the southwest area already experience lower water pressure from time to time, Ward said.
The utility 44 years ag0, in 1979, bought the property with plans to erect a water tower on it as the city grew and its service was needed, Ward said.
Two couples who said their homes and lots abut the utility's lot came to the meeting, but did not speak before the commission.
A couple living on South 43rd Street, who declined to share their names, was concerned about where those two water mains would be built.
Rick Pulvirenti, chief operating officer and engineer for the water utility, said the pipes for carrying the water to the tower are in place. They will connect with the two water mains at Elm Springs Road.
Wayne Terry, who lives on Chapman Avenue, said he knew that if the tower fell during a tornado, its 130-foot length would not reach any structures. "But it would cause a big mess," he said.
Terry said he and wife Gaye have lived in their home for 42 years.
Brad Hammond, an engineer with Olsson firm in Fayetteville, said the tower will meet high standards for wind and seismic activity and codes for water towers. He said the tower would be less likely to fall when it is full, which is how the utility plans to keep it.
Pulvirenti said the tank wouldn't make noise nor would it smell once construction is completed.
Water is stored in elevated tanks, which use gravity to keep pipe mains below ground full and pressures high. Especially in times of peak use, the extra water held in the tower will ensure water for everyone. When demand slacks, the station quickly pumps the tower full again and ready for the next peak.
The utility also had asked for landscaping variances at the tower site, but agreed to upgrading fencing and building a 5-foot sidewalk along the utility's access drive.
Pulvirenti said the cost of the project currently is estimated at $52.3 million.
Patsy Christie, director of the city's Planning Department, noted a cell tower stands behind the church and will remain. It looks like a tall white cross, she said.