City's main water tank back online

Katie Teachout, The Journal | Last updated May 21, 2020 11:17am0

Katie Teachout | The Journal count

Larry Albee of Lind takes a shot on the Ritzville Golf Course last Friday, in front of the Standpipe Water Tower, which was brought back online as the main tank earlier that day. Irrigation of the golf course resumed Friday, relieving Adams County Fire Protection District No. 1 of their temporary greens duty.

RITZVILLE - City water users were treated to full-pressure showers and the freedom to irrigate lawns to their heart's content, with the Standpipe water tower coming back online Friday, May 15.

Mayor Gary Cook said Public Works Director Dave Breazeale let him know that morning the water test came back good from the lab.

The project that began in March included a full sandblasting and re-coating of the town's main water tower.

The switch to the shorter, standby water tower left users with lower water pressure on the gravity-feed system.

Cook said the 135-foot tall Standpipe tank holds 1 million gallons of water, whereas the re-habbed tank in the park holds 250,000 gallons.

"That tank is 70 feet lower, so with the gravity feed, it just didn't give enough pressure," said Cook, who earlier in the month needed to explain to residents it wasn't a lack of water, but simply a lack of pressure.

Cook said he appreciated residents' patience throughout the project, and said water meters would start to be read that day.

Author Bio

Katie Teachout, Editor

Katie Teachout is the editor of The Ritzville Adams County Journal. Previously, she worked as a reporter at The Omak-Okanogan County Chronicle, the Oroville Gazette-Tribune, Northern Kittitas County Tribune and the Methow Valley News. She is a graduate of Western Washington University.