Water District Officials Want Old Tank Replaced

Each of the nearly 5,000 water users in Oak Park will probably have to pay $5 or more every month for the next 25 years to cover the costs of a proposed $4-million water storage tank, water district officials said.

The 1.4-million-gallon Conifer Tank just above Conifer Street is nearing the end of its usable life after 32 years of service, officials said. A few months ago, a diver inspected the 30-foot-tall, above-ground tank and detected thinning and peeling in its walls.

Although it may be several years before the tank’s structural integrity reaches the danger point, Oak Park officials say it must be replaced soon.

“That tank will not last forever,” said Joe Deakin, district manager for the Triunfo Sanitation District, of which the Oak Park Water Service is a subsidiary.

The $4-million project would replace the existing water tank with one about twice its size, with a capacity of 3 million gallons. Oak Park’s four existing tanks can hold a combined total of 5.9 million gallons.

But the community’s maximum water demand is 6.1 million gallons a day and, in the event of an emergency or service interruption, the lack of storage could cause a critical water shortage, officials said.

“As a water purveyor, my advice is to get more storage, as much as you can afford,” Deakin said.