The Pennsylvania American Water million-gallon Tanner Hill water storage tank off of Liberty Street Ext. in Warren is due for rehabilitation. A new tank will be built this year on the same site. In the summer of 2018 or 2019, the existing tank will be emptied and repainted inside and out, before being put back in service.

Pennsylvania American Water is about to begin a $900,000 improvement project to its Warren system.

The Tanner Hill tank off of Liberty Street Extension has not been rehabilitated since 1981, according to Project Manager Ralph Warzy. “It’s due for repainting. Inside and out.”

The one-million-gallon tank does not look shiny and new, but that is largely an aesthetic problem, Warzy said. “The steel isn’t compromised because the coating degraded instead.”

“Rehabilitating the tank extends the life and is often more cost-effective,” he said. “Repainting the structure extends the life of the steel by providing a protective barrier.”

He said the company expects to get about 20 years out of a paint application. “That this was painted in 1981 is a testament to how well they hold up.”

The tanks themselves can last more than 100 years with proper maintenance, he said.

There is no water problem on the inside of the tank due to the time since the last rehabilitation.

“The water (in the tank) is tested regularly and meets or exceeds all standards,” Warzy said.

And the project will not cause water problems. The paint and other products are regulated by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.

Rehabilitating the tank will not even cause a disruption in service. “We don’t expect any water service disruptions as a result of the project,” he said.

“To do that, we need to build a new storage tank,” Warzy said. “That’s what we’re kicking off in about two weeks.”

The company will construct a 430,000-gallon tank on the same site to provide high-elevation storage, Warzy said. “It should be in place and on-line by the end of December — weather permitting.”

The existing tank will be taken off-line in the summer of 2018 or 2019. “We’re hoping to do the paint project in the summer of next year,” Warzy said. “The project should take about three months, weather permitting.”

The new tank provides the company with the flexibility to handle the project in the short-term. It also enhances the system in the long-term.

“We’re enhancing our storage capacity quite a bit,” he said.

The Liberty Street location is the highest elevation in the Warren system. As such, it “serves the higher elevation customers,” according to Western Pennsylvania External Affairs Manager Gary Lobaugh.

“It provides water supply and pressure,” Warzy said. “This keeps it at a nice equilibrium. You don’t want surges in pressure.”

The new tank will top out at the same elevation.

Mealy Excavating and Construction is the contractor for the site work needed to get ready for the construction of the new tank. Mid Atlantic Storage Systems will build the tank.

There will be some additional truck traffic and noise associated with the work, Warzy said.

Including the tanks on Liberty Street, Pennsylvania American Water is installing four new tanks and rehabilitating 10 across the state.