January 20, 2015 | Work on repainting and adding a new logo to the water tower on I-30 began recently. The project is expected to be done in about two months – weather permitting, stated J.D. Phillips, Director of Engineering at Texarkana Water Utilities.

There will be several stages to the work, stated Phillips. First, the containment, seen below, was installed so that the workers can sandblast old paint down to the bare steel and then apply the first coat of primer. This process will be facilitated by a machine with a bucket to help position the workers next to the tower to apply the paint.

The first step is expected to be finished in about four weeks. However, several factors could delay the completion. Paint cannot applied to metal if the temperature drops below a certain level or if the wind goes over 10 miles per hour, stated Phillips.

The second step is applying another coat of paint. The containment will be taken down and the crews will use long rollers to apply this second coat of paint, stated Phillips.

New Logo

Texarkana, Texas City Council picked a new logo. The Council initially were presented with six designs. At the City Council meeting on January 12, 2015, the Council chose Design #6 below.

At the beginning of that City Council meeting, Texarkana, Arkansas Mayor Penney Bell urged the Texas Side Council to choose a logo that represented both Cities. The Council did just that with “Texarkana, USA”.

Here are some pictures of the water tower on December 16, 2014 when the crew was installing the supports:

Here are pictures of the water tower on January 5, 2015 when the tarp was initially installed:

Process

The City repainted this water tower in 1995. “We like to go 20-25 years,” stated Phillips in reference to the length of time the City likes to re-paint its water towers. “The paint finally gets pin holes and water will start to make it rust. The paint will blister. That is why sandblast it down to steel and re-paint it,” stated Phillips.

The project is expected to cost $1,211,950. However, this includes a total of four water towers to be re-painted. This includes (1) the water tower in College Hill were the paint job was recently completed, (2) the water tower in Liberty Eylau near the federal prison, (3) the I-30 Water tower, and (4) a small ground storage tank at the water plant.

The job was awarded to the Houston branch of Utility Service Group. This company is a national company that specializes in repairing and painting water towers.

The water tower in Pleasant Grove will need to be re-painted in the next couple of years, stated Phillips. It was built in 1993.

What is the Purpose of a Water Tower?

“Water towers help maintain a constant steady pressure in a water system so we don’t have to install pumps everywhere,” stated Phillips. “Water towers are also required for fire protection to make sure there is enough supply of water to combat a fire,” stated Phillips.

Also, water tower are open to the air at the top. Pumps carry the water into the storage tanks. If the water level in the tanks drops 5-6 feet, then a signal is sent to the main office of the water utilities. The pumps are then turned on to fill the tank back up.

Here is a picture of the old water tower: