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The new water tank on Boll Weevil Circle is expected to be in operation by September.
That’s the word from city of Enterprise Water Works Board Field Superintendent Alan Mahan April 18.
A milestone in the project was reached April 13 with the hoisting of a 1.5 million-gallon water “bowl” atop a 44-foot pedestal which is built next to the existing tank that was first built in 1965, four years after a well in that location came online in 1961.
The new tank is three times bigger than the existing tank which was a 750-gallon pump when it was constructed in 1965 and later expanded to a 500,000-gallon tank. The new tank has three times the holding capacity of the existing 500,000-gallon tank which, when built, was connected to the original 750-gallon-a-minute well pump.
The process of hoisting the tank took some six hours April 13. “It was not something you see every day,” Mahan added with a smile. The next step in the process is to fill the tank with water by early July, with an online date in September—and then the existing tank will be decommissioned and torn down.
“The need to replace the 500,000-gallon tank began being talked about over five years ago,” Mahan said, explaining that the Enterprise Water Board updates it’s five-year plan annually.
“As the North side of town continued to grow in population with housing developments, so did the demand for more water for consumption, recreation and fire suppression,” Mahan said outlining the timeline of the project which is located next to the Dauphin Shopping Center—known also as the Grocery Advantage Shopping Center. “The construction of the current 500,000-gallon bypass tank began in 1961 when there was no Boll Weevil Circle, no subdivisions, no businesses and no fire station.
“At that time, the area was all agriculture except for Sylvan Drive and Pinehurst Drive that was being developed,” Mahan said. “Shell Field Road was a one lane dirt road and Shell Army Field was about to be built. Highway 167 North from Enterprise didn’t exist.
“Over the next 60 years, thousands of homes, two schools, a fire station and businesses were constructed in the area and for those 60 years the bypass well and tank provided potable water, recreation and fire protection to the growing area,” Mahan recalled. “The area continues to grow with more homes and businesses being built every day and in order to continue to provide water needs, a larger tank and a bigger capacity well was needed.”
Construction on the new tank began with well drilling in December 2020, Mahan said. The tank construction began in January 2021.
Mahan said he expects the new tank to provide service for at least the next 60 years. “But the improvements to the city water system don’t stop with this project,” he said. “The water board’s current plan is to rid the system of all antiquated water mains over the next 10 years. The biggest focus will be in the downtown area where the first water lines were laid in 1903.
“Lines in other areas—installed up to the early 1960’s will also be replaced. Some areas will be replaced with larger water mains where the water demand has increased,” Mahan said. “Also in the plan, is another deep well to be installed in north Enterprise. A study was also performed by a hydrogeologist some five years ago and his recommendation was for us to re-drill several older wells to increase capacity.
“There have been three re-drilled over the past five years with astonishing results,” Mahan said. “Well No. 3, drilled in 1958 with a capacity of 400 gallons per minute, was re-drilled in 2015 with an increased capacity of 1,000 gallons per minute. Well No. 4, with a capacity of 650 gallons per minute, was drilled in 1961 and re-drilled in 2021 with an increase capacity of 1,000 gallons per minute.
“Well No. 6, drilled in 1968 with a capacity of 650 gallons per minute, was re-drilled in 2021 with an increase capacity of 1000 gallons per minute,” he added.
“There are future plans to re-drill other wells with decreased capacities,” Mahan said. “This will prepare the city for any developments such as more subdivisions, businesses or industry that would want to locate anywhere in the City of Progress.”
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