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Josephine engineers recommend 1.5M‑gallon elevated tank in 2026 as city plans for 3.5M gallons of storage
Summary
Engineers told the City Council on Sept. 9 that Josephine’s 10‑year capital improvement plan needs about 3.5 million gallons of elevated storage, recommending a 1.5 million‑gallon tank by 2026 and a 2 million‑gallon tank by 2031; staff will return next month with a master‑plan amendment and cost options, including negotiating oversize capacity with developers.
Engineers from Kimley Horn and Dunaway told the Josephine City Council on Sept. 9 that the city’s 10‑year water capital improvement plan requires about 3.5 million gallons of elevated storage and recommended building a 1.5 million‑gallon elevated tank by 2026 and a 2 million‑gallon tank by 2031.
"The master plan identified the need for a 3 and a half million gallons of elevated storage within your 10 year CIP," said the presenter for Kimley Horn, noting the combination of decommissioning an existing small tank and adding larger tanks to meet demand. The engineers said the plan assumes keeping a 500,000‑gallon tank in service, decommissioning a smaller tank and adding the larger capacity over the next decade.
Why it matters: elevated storage affects fire protection, minimum system pressure during outages and the city’s ability to serve forecasted growth. The engineers said elevated storage is more expensive than ground storage but provides emergency operational benefits if pump stations or deliveries from the North Texas Municipal Water District are interrupted.
Cost and configuration: the consultants outlined tradeoffs between multiple smaller tanks and fewer larger tanks. They estimated a half‑million‑gallon elevated tank could cost roughly $4 million–$6 million to construct, while a 1.5 million‑gallon tank could be in the neighborhood of $10 million. Operations and maintenance also matter: tank recoating every 15–20 years can run from about $500,000 to $1 million per tank, the presentation said.
Negotiating with developers: staff and council discussed asking a developer to oversize a developer‑funded tank and letting the city purchase capacity over time rather than financing the entire cost up front. "If you're okay with talking about oversizing rather than having multiple smaller towers, I can start the conversations with their engineers," one council member said, and staff said they would pursue those conversations and report back.
Next steps: engineers said changing the size or location of tanks will require updating the hydraulic model, revising the CIP and amending the master plan so projects can be used for impact‑fee calculations. Staff committed to return next month with proposed amendments and additional cost comparisons, including ground‑storage options and the recommended 4,000,000‑gallon ground storage item noted in the presentation.
Council reaction and follow up: council members pressed for full cost comparisons and asked staff to bring more data on the sprinkler/fire‑protection related change orders and the waterline issue that moved one project budget to "at risk." The council approved staff’s plan to pursue developer conversations and to bring an amended CIP and impact‑fee package for consideration next month.
Sources: presentation by Kimley Horn and Dunaway to Josephine City Council on Sept. 9, 2024. No final contract or financing decision was made at the meeting.
