Nestled quietly off the beaten path, this stands as the largest elevated water storage project anywhere; with all six million gallons of its elevated water storage on a single site. The two tanks rise over neighboring trees, welcoming thriving new developments slated for nearby surroundings with a pleasant, calming spirit. However, don’t let any of this fool you; these tanks have already captured national attention, featured on the History Channel’s television show, Modern Marvels. It’s fitting that the episode debuting Loudoun Water’s tanks on-screen is named “Under Pressure.”
Caldwell created these massive structures using over 1,040 tons of steel in the tanks; 48 tons of reinforcing steel in the shafts; as well as 100 tons of structural, reinforcing, and miscellaneous steel for the ladders, piping, and foundations. Together, the two tanks tout 134,000 square feet of painted steel surface, gracefully topped with nearly full-perimeter handrails; all of which result in extremely large surface area visible from the overhead view.
This is a project that demanded tight constraints within the shafts, so we could delicately fit all the 16” and 24” stainless steel piping, valves, and controls. For one of the tanks, we built full pumping station controls inside it; while for another, because of the summer heat, we needed to pour its dome at night. Caldwell utilized unique safety and fall-arrest systems as well as a complex SCADA system. Thousands of design and construction man-hours were spent inside of the 910-day window for completion; all to successfully deliver these two astounding tanks to Loudon Water’s site.
