Oxford Village’s water tower on S. Glaspie St. is in need of some long overdue maintenance and repairs.
According to a Dec. 23 inspection report filed by the Lake Odessa-based Dixon Engineering, Inc., the 500,000-gallon tower requires either $232,000 or $347,000 in work, depending on which option the village chooses for repainting the structure’s exterior.
Dixon Engineering performed an on-site inspection of the tower’s condition Nov. 16.
Council is expected to discuss the engineering firm’s report at its 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 12 meeting.
Village Manager Joe Young indicated the municipality has approximately $500,000 in its water fund reserves that could, should council chose, be used to pay for fixing the tower.
Dixon Engineering found the tower’s exterior coating and wet interior coating (i.e. the inside portion that comes into contact with the drinking water) to be in ‘poor condition.?
On a scale of 1-10, Dixon Engineering Project Manager Thomas Rounds indicated that structurally, the tower ‘might be an eight.?
However, he rated the condition of the wet interior coating as a ‘two? and the exterior coating as a ‘five or six.?
‘It’s not going to fall over, I can tell you that. But it does need some work,? he noted.
It appears the last time the tower’s wet interior was painted was in 1977 when the structure was built by Chicago Bridge and Iron.
‘The wet interior should have been (re-coated) 10 years ago, easily,? Rounds said. ‘There were issues 10 years ago, I’m sure.?
The wet interior is ‘the big concern? because without adequate protective coating, the water inside comes into direct contact with bare metal surfaces, causing corrosion, which can structurally damage and weaken the tower.
‘You want that (wet interior) as pristine as possible and it’s not. It’s been shot for many years? he explained. ‘Your corrosion occurs on the wet interior. That’s where your corrosion is.?
According to the report, the tower’s wet interior coating is ‘brittle and has poor adhesion.?
‘There are numerous areas of extensive delamination, blistering and spot failure on the floor, access tube and sidewalls,? the report stated. ‘The roof coating is deteriorating at the open lap seams, the cathodic protection lift holes and on the roof beam edges.?
Despite the corrosion, Rounds indicated there are no holes in the wet interior’s structure that could result in contamination of the stored drinking water by outside sources.
‘We would have that as a priority in our report (if there were holes),? he said. ‘That’s not the case.?
Blast cleaning and repainting the wet interior will cost the village an estimated $85,000.
As for the tower’s exterior, the last time it was painted was in 2003. However, only a single coat of enamel paint was used at the time, which Rounds likened to ‘putting lipstick on a pig.?
‘The last guy put like one coat on it. It was a horrible job,? he said.
According to the report, the paint job is ‘performing worse than would be expected for a six-year-old? coating.
‘While the coating may appear to have an acceptable aesthetic quality, the actual condition is poor,? the report stated. ‘Adhesion is fair and many, minor coating breaks will soon appear, allowing rust to form on the surface.?
Depending on which method the village chooses to repaint the tower’s exterior, the estimated job cost could be either $65,000 or $170,000.
In addition to the coating work, Dixon’s report also recommended the village install some much-needed safety features on the water tower including a 42-inch-high hand railing on the roof; an estimated cost of $13,000.
Rounds didn’t know when, or even if, the village has ever had its water tower inspected since 1977.
He said whenever he’d ask former Water Plant Superintendent Jim Smith, who worked here from May 1979 to June 2009, about doing an inspection, the answer was always either the village didn’t want to do one or didn’t have the money to pay for it.
‘I don’t know if we’ve ever had one. I’m not aware of any record of that,? said Young, who’s managed the village since June 2004. ‘In the past 5? years, it’s not been done. Not since I’ve been here.?
Rounds indicated the American Water Works Association recommends water towers be inspected every three-to-five years; that way communities can plan ahead and budget for needed repairs and regular maintenance.
‘You want to maintain these structures because they’ll last forever if you take care of them,? he said. ‘We’ve seen tanks over 100 years old that are well-maintained. They don’t have the corrosion issues because they maintain them.?