Later this month, residents of Fort Erie will see a new 56.8-metre (196 foot) elevated water tank as part of the Town’s skyline.
The new tank is anticipated to be similar in height to a typical 15-18 story building and will be hoisted on Pettit Road.
According to Niagara Region, the new elevated water tank is needed to enhance service to existing customers and facilitate anticipated future growth in the region.
Elevated water tanks store treated drinking water and use gravity to provide water pressure that is reliable to homes, businesses, and fire protection systems.
The new tank will combine and replace Fort Erie’s existing water storage systems, which, according to Niagara Region experts, are approaching their end of service life. It is also expected to improve current pumping operations; reduce long-term lifecycle costs; simplify and optimize system operations by consolidating multiple facilities; and provide enough capacity to facilitate long-term growth.
The existing elevated tank on Central Avenue and Stevensville reservoir will be decommissioned after the new elevated tank is commissioned and fully operational. The plan is for it to be recycled.
The new tank will be hoisted this month but likely won’t be operational until 2027, which is when the Central Avenue elevated tank will likely be removed.
“We are very excited to be hoisting a new elevated water tank in Fort Erie to accommodate anticipated growth and better serve the community with modern, lead-edge infrastructure for residents and businesses,” said Phil Lambert, Director, Water and Wastewater Services, Niagara Region.
“Our Water and Wastewater Servicing Plan played a crucial role in helping us to determine where the new tank should be located to ensure we are servicing the community in the most efficient and effective way,” Lambert continued.
“We are currently updating this master servicing plan, which will continue to help us guide where new infrastructure should be implemented to deliver modern infrastructure that supports our ability to provide reliable water and wastewater services in Niagara region for years to come.”
Niagara Region presently operates six water treatment plans and 38 water reservoirs and/or elevated tanks across all eleven of its municipalities.
Jay Goldberg is the Canadian Affairs Manager at the Consumer Choice Center. He previously served as the Ontario Director at the Canadian Taxpayers Federation and a policy fellow at the Munk School of Public Policy and Global Affairs. Jay holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Toronto.
