Water Tower Why?
Our Metroplex cities use underground pipes, pumps, tanks, and above-ground water towers to distribute water. Fort Worth has 27 water towers, and the city’s water distribution system serves more than 1.3 million people in 30 surrounding communities.
Water towers serve many purposes. They are used to store treated water, manage the flow, and as extra water for firefighters to extinguish fires. They also serve as a reservoir to help with water needs during peak usage times. The water level in the tower typically falls during the peak hours of the day, and then a pump fills it back up during the night. This process also keeps the water from freezing in cold weather, since the tower is constantly being drained and refilled.
Towers are constructed at a height high enough to maintain water pressure citywide. The elevation of your water tower in relation to your home’s elevation determines if you need a pressure-reducing valve (over 80 psi). Hello, to the homeowners in the low land down by our lakes.
If you ever complain about no water pressure in your shower. Hello, to our friends on the tops of the hills. One especially notable area is Ridglea Avenue between Camp Bowie & I-30; look at elevation differential of your water tower on I-30. (Yes, before you ask, we can help boost your water pressure. However, it is not inexpensive. Need to find the main incoming water line and install a quality pump in a location that will not freeze and where you will not have vibrations from a cycling pump wake you up at night.)
No actual water is stored in the trunk of a typically elevated water tank, and water only passes through when flowing into or out of the tank. Instead, the interior houses access ladders, control valves and pipes, the inlet and outlet pipe, and more. To ensure tanks do not become overfull, water tanks have an overflow pipe that will drain water from a storage tank and deposit it on the ground or in the surrounding area if a tank is too full.
Because of hydrostatic pressure produced by the elevation of water towers are able to supply water even during power outages. However, as you may remember from the freeze last year, they cannot supply the water for a long time without power.
