Lawmakers in the city of Watertown are exploring what to do about the city’s water reservoir in Thompson Park. The five-million-gallon reservoir leaks thousands of gallons of water a day.
Water Superintendent Aaron Harvill said the city recently met with the state Department of Health.
“We were in a mutual agreement that the city has to elevate the need for this reservoir repair or replacement,” Harvill said.
The city went through repairs of the reservoir last spring aimed at repairing the leak – but officials learned in December it was leaking again. City Engineer Tom Compo said estimated repairs could cost millions.
“This reservoir is 135 years old and it's tired,” Compo said.
Compo said the preferred option would be to replace the reservoir entirely with a concrete tank and install a new water transmission line from the water treatment plant to the reservoir. That would cost $4.3 million – which doesn’t include the cost of demolition estimated to be about $4 million.
If the city goes with this option, demolition is estimated to start next spring with construction beginning in June.
