What's Going on at the Pittsburg Road Water Reservoir?

Project details updated August 1, 2019

Have you heard about or seen recent activity at the City’s water reservoir on Pittsburg Road?

The two million gallon (2MG) reservoir was filled with water last week to allow a specialized diving inspection team to enter the reservoir and inspect the liner membrane inside on Monday and Tuesday, July 29-30. The City’s Engineering Department has been working steadily with the contractor, Western Partitions, Inc., to resolve the reservoir’s leakage issues following the 2017 installation of the membrane.

Project Background

The City’s 2MG reservoir, located at 35259 Pittsburg Road, is a partially buried reinforced concrete tank that was constructed in approximately 1930. With the exception of the panelized metal roof, the concrete wall and floor structure are around 90 years old, and the interior surface has experienced general deterioration over time which is to be expected with the age of the structure.

In 2009 the expansion joints in the concrete floor and several localized portions of the wall where leaks had been identified were repaired. These repairs greatly reduced the leakage, but did not eliminate it altogether.

In 2016, the City moved forward with rehabilitating the entire interior structure of the reservoir in an effort to further reduce the leakage as well as to extend the life of the reservoir. The City contracted with Western Partition, Inc., and in April 2017, a new coating system was installed. It was designed to form a seamless membrane inside the reservoir completely isolating the interior concrete floor and walls from the water. However, soon after the installation, it was discovered that the new membrane was not working as substantial leakage continued to occur.

Since this time, the City has been working systematically with the contractor to resolve the issues.  

Your Questions Answered

We recognize there have been many questions and concerns raised regarding the reservoir rehabilitation project. The following questions and answers seek to provide the public with accurate information regarding the project.

Q:Why does a reservoir built in the 1970s have so many problems?

A: A few months ago a local newspaper printed inaccurate information regarding the age of the reservoir, stating that it was built in the 1970s. In fact, the reservoir was built sometime around 1930 and is roughly 90 years old. The deterioration of the concrete and the increased leakage it has experienced over the past several years is consistent with its age and necessitated the repairs. 

Q: How does this project and water leakage impact my water bill?

A: It does not. The reservoir project, including any water loss from the reservoir, has zero impact on your water bill and does not impact water rates. The rehabilitation of the reservoir is a Capital Improvement Project (CIP) and the funds for the project are taken from the City’s Water Fund. This fund is money that the City regularly sets aside to perform improvements to the City’s water infrastructure. The Pittsburg Road Reservoir has been mostly offline since 2016 and kept empty, except when it has to be filled for repair and testing purposes. The water in the reservoir and the water that leaks out of the reservoir does not enter the distribution system and water customers are not charged.

Q: How are the fish in the creek affected by the chlorine water leaking out of the reservoir?

A: The fish in the creek are not in danger of being harmed by water leaking out of the reservoir because chlorine concentrations must be in excess of .25 ppm (parts per million) to negatively affect fish. The concentration of chlorine in the water leaking out of the reservoir and tested at a ditch near the reservoir tests less than 0.015 ppm. For a comparison, regular tap water can contain up to 4.0 ppm. That is over 200 times the amount of chlorine that is found in the water leaking out of the reservoir. The City of St. Helens drinking water typically contains approximately 0.7 ppm of chlorine. The low chlorine content found in the reservoir discharge water is achieved by the City utilizing a process called dechlorination. Dechlorination is simply the process of removing residual chlorine from water prior to discharge into the environment and thereby protecting aquatic life from any harmful effects of residual chlorine.     

Q: How much is it costing the City to keep fixing the reservoir?

A: The total cost for the project was $477,537. In addition to these costs, the City has spent an additional $23,000 on testing. However, because the project is under warranty, the City does not pay the Contractor to perform any additional repairs. 

Q: Wouldn’t it be easier and cost less in the long run to just build a new reservoir?

A: No. A new reservoir will cost between $10-$20 million dollars to build. This includes the purchase of land, the construction of a new transmission line, new pumps, and the construction of a new reservoir structure itself. Because local funds will not cover these costs, the City would have to use other funding sources, including loan funds. These loan funds would cause an increase in water rates so that the loan could be repaid. On the other hand, the rehabilitation of the existing reservoir on Pittsburg Road has cost the City less than $500,000. All this project money came from the budgeted project funds that the City already had, so there has been no added costs to water customers.

Q: Why was the contractor and inspector paid if the membrane failed?

A: At the close of the project in 2017 when the coating system was installed and inspected, there was no clear evidence at that time that would have justified the City to not make final payment to the contractor. Holding back payment at that time could have opened the City up to a potential lawsuit.  In order to determine the party responsible for the continued leakage, the cause of the continued leakage had to be first determined. This is the reason why we have been steadily working to test various components of the reservoir since it was discovered that the new membrane was not working as designed and had not solved the leakage problems.

Q: Can’t the City just use another contractor, remove the liner, and install a new one?

A: No. Legally the City must allow the contractor access to the site to test and correct deficient work because the work is under warranty. The warranty would be negatively impacted if we allow another contractor to enter the tank and start tampering with the installed coating system.

Project Contact

For accurate information concerning the reservoir, citizens should contact the City’s Engineering Department at (503) 397-6272.