NAMPA, Idaho — Just under a year ago, the city of Nampa dismantled its iconic water tower and began constructing a new 1.5-million-gallon tank to meet the growing water needs of the community. The new tank is designed to supply the city's water needs for the next 50 years.
- Water towers are essential for handling emergencies and daily pressure stabilization.
- Construction is three-quarters complete with expected completion in summer 2025.
- The tank will feature a white paint scheme with Nampa’s logo.
(Below is the transcript from the broadcast story)
Just under a year ago, Nampa's iconic water tower was dismantled. Built in the 1970s, the aging structure could no longer meet the needs of the rapidly growing city. A new 1.5-million-gallon tank is expected to supply Nampa's water needs for the next 50 years.
"The tank is designed for the growth of our city moving forward," said Nampa's Director of Water Resources Jeff Barnes. "We've done a plan out to 2040 and this provides more than enough storage up to that point and beyond."
City water towers serve essential functions as backups for emergencies like fires or water main breaks, but they also help your home every day.
"It also provides additional pressure stabilization as people come home from work or get up in the morning," Jeff explained. "We use more water at different times of the day."
Nearly a year into construction and three-quarters of the way complete, the city's water systems have functioned as if nothing has changed.
"What is the backup emergency system without having this resource?" I asked.
"We have built-in redundancies in the system," Jeff responded. "If we did have an emergency, we have wells around here that would kick in, and we can also use some of the storage from our south tank."
In the near future, the 1.5 million gallon water tank will get its paint job — a white paint scheme with Nampa's logo. The design was a thoughtful consideration of use and location but a far cry from the former towering icon.
"We looked at just keeping the tank and not filling it with water and just keeping it painted," Jeff said.
"Pulling a Meridian?" I joked.
"Yeah, right," Jeff replied. "And then we also looked at just putting in a new tank, and this functionally is a great location for where the tank is."
