9.7.23
Construction Begins on Last Main Structures of Wichita’s Northwest Water Facility
The final skyline of Wichita’s Northwest Water Facility is taking shape! In the project’s third year of construction, crews began installing the last main structures of the state-of-the-art facility called clearwells. The two finished water storage tanks will be the last stop in the City’s treatment process following the filtration and disinfection stages.
Measuring in at 80 ft diameter (5,026 sq ft) with 1.5 million gallons of capacity each, these tanks will be used as onsite storage of finished water before it’s sent to homes and businesses through the High Service Pump Station.
A total of 18 precast panels were cast and cured onsite to create the walls. Each one stands 43 ft tall. Crews later set the panels on both tanks in just a few days. Then, a three-inch thick concrete dome was placed for a roof.
In the coming weeks, you’ll see the currently exposed steel diaphragm wrapped in wire for prestressing. Additionally, the tunnel walls will be coated in shotcrete, a sprayed concrete material. The final coat of the tanks will be textured and painted making it one of the first noticeable features when approaching the plant from northbound Zoo Boulevard.
The clearwells are the latest accomplishment in a year of milestones. In March, the project exceeded 1 million labor hours. In August, the 2,000th person reported to work on-site since construction began. When completed, the $500 million Northwest Water Facility will treat 120 million gallons of drinking water each day. Wichita’s largest capital investment in history will replace the City’s 80-year-old water treatment plant.
