Public Invited To Tour New Sunset Mesa Water Tank

Montrose, CO — City of Montrose engineering and Public Works departments are hosting an open house inside the newly completed Sunset Mesa Water Tank to allow the public an opportunity to explore the newest addition to the city’s water system. 

The “open tank” event is scheduled for Monday evening, July 12, from 6 to 8 p.m. 

This unique experience will allow participants to walk inside the new, 46-foot diameter, 130-foot-tall tank and meet with city staff and members of the contracting team to learn how the tank works and how it will help support the future water needs of the city.

The site can be accessed from Sunset Mesa Drive and parking is available along the eastern side of the Sunset Mesa baseball fields.

This new tank is replacing an existing below-ground storage tank built on Sunset Mesa in 1960.

“Although the old tank was sufficient for its time, continued growth on the western side of the river, increased overall water demands in the city, and changes in water quality regulations have made this old tank obsolete, primarily due to its low elevation, structural condition, and operational issues,” said City Engineer Scott Murphy.  

In 2018 the city's Utilities and Engineering departments discussed with the City Council an initial design to replace the tank. The city then hired an engineering consultant, the Farnsworth Group, to perform an evaluation of alternatives and determine the best course of action for replacing the aged tank. This evaluation of alternatives looked at up-front capital costs, anticipated maintenance and operational costs (including pumping), life-cycle costs, and operational and aesthetic considerations for nine different tank styles. 

The Farnsworth Group ultimately recommended a 130-foot-tall, standpipe-style tank as the preferred alternative for replacing the old tank. This also matched recommendations made in the city’s 2016 Water Master Plan update. The alternative designs were discussed at a public meeting with the City Council in 2019 and the city decided to move forward with final design of the recommended alternative. Additional detail on the alternatives evaluation can be found on the project’s webpage at MoveMo.co.
     
The project was put out to bid in the summer of 2020, with four Colorado companies and one Kansas-based company responding. After careful evaluation, Murphy recommended awarding the contract to the low bidder, Ridgway Valley Enterprises of Montrose, at a cost of $4,336,876. In addition to recommending that the council consider approving the construction contract, staff also recommended hiring the Farnsworth Group to provide engineering support in the amount of $409,290.

City Councilors voted unanimously to approve the contract for the project at the September 1, 2020, regular meeting. The project is being funded through the city’s water capital fund. 

Murphy said the new tank is designed to serve the residents of Montrose for 50+ years and help to ensure the availability of clean, reliable water even in the event of an emergency.

For more new on city capital projects visit www.MoveMo.co.

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