By Lindsay Doty
The water tower located north of Hendricks Regional Health in Danville will be out of service for at least 30 days for updates, inspections and a fresh coat of paint.
The 750,000-gallon tank is one of three elevated water storage tanks serving the town in addition to the water wells throughout Ellis Park.
Crews will be working on the 170-foot-tower for the coming weeks to complete the job.
“We drain the tank and inspect the inside and the bowl where the water is and get it updated to the OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) standards,” superintendent of the Danville Water Department Jim Russell said.
OSHA, the federal agency responsible for ensuring safe and healthy work environments, requires ongoing safety updates.
“OSHA standards have us putting up a new man rail at the top and then we are also putting a tank re-circulation device inside. It’s a pump that fits down in it,” Russell said.
Storage capacity will be down 50 percent during the work, but Russell says residents should not notice a difference other than seeing the crews up at the tower.
He still urges people to be conservative with water usage during this time —and always.
“Just try not to waste it. I’m a big proponent of not watering lawns at all. You wouldn’t believe how many people don’t know how to water lawns properly,” he says. “I don’t like seeing people waste water.”
The tank was built in 2002. Town leaders hope the updates and new paint job will last several decades. Last year, Danville did improvements on the water storage tower near North Elementary School.
