Photo courtesy of Birmingham Water Works Board.
Birmingham Water Works Board workers paint the interior of the Bluff Park Water Tower.
Residents of Bluff Park will soon have a newly painted water tower. The elevated tank, which holds 250,000 gallons of water, is located on Shades Crest Road near Park Avenue.
The project required some prep work before it began, including trimming the trees around it so the equipment could get through, and workers also had to make sure there were no leaks on the pipeline.
To begin the project, the water was drained out of the tank. The tank was then sand blasted and a new coating system installed. The purpose is to keep the steel from rusting and becoming corroded over time. It also keeps the water clean and maintains the life of the tank.
This particular water tank in Bluff Park serves three main purposes. First, it supplies water to local customers during high demand in the morning and evening. The size of the tank allows water to be pulled out faster than the city can pump it. Second, the tank supplies water in the event of fires in the area. Third, the tank maintains the water pressure to homes in the surrounding area.
“The tower was built in 1953 and requires maintenance from time to time,” said Darryl Jones, assistant general manager of the Birmingham Water Works Board. “It gets a fresh coat of paint every twenty years. It probably had a job in the 1970s, another around 1992, so this is probably the third time this has been done.”
Jones describes the tank as “a bowl sitting on legs.” The smaller tank near it, a standpipe, was painted over three years ago.
The project began in March and should be completed by the first week of June.
