Water tank gets more repairs

By AARON BOHACHEK

Staff writer

The much-maligned and oft-discussed northside water tank will get one more round of repairs this fall courtesy of Bonners Ferry Builders, according to city administrator Stephen Boorman.

At risk of adding more of what Councilman Rick Alonzo called “lipstick on a pig,” the $8,500 repairs should get the structure rodent-tight for the short-term as the city looks for grant funding to replace the over 80 year-old wood truss and steel-covered, unreinforced concrete cube.

The fix was the best scenario considering the age and reliability of the structure, engineers and city councilors determined after analysis by Welch-Comer was completed on the structure. Original plans to cap the tank with a concrete lid were scrapped when it was determined that there was no reinforcing rebar in the concrete, making it too weak to support the weight of a concrete lid.

According to Boorman, the repair crew will cut off and seal the overhanging eves, where it is suspected earlier rodent incursions occurred. Screened ventilation will then be installed in the roof. Since mice can jump up to 18 inches, a foot and a half of soil will be removed from the sides of the tank, placing the lip 24 inches off the ground.

“Any more than that and well be below the water level,” Boorman said. “Then we run into frost and freezing problems.”

Still looking for a contractor to do the earth work, Boorman says the city may end up doing the work themselves.

“This is the busy time of year for contractors,” he said, “It usually peaks around Thanksgiving.”

A representative for the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality will be at the Oct. 9 city council meeting to discuss a long-term solution for the ongoing issue.