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Water Tower Project

The City of Tecumseh's Utilities Department is preparing for a significant Water Tower Rehabilitation Project. To complete painting and other updates, the water tower on N. Occidental Highway will need to be taken out of service. While the water tower is out of service, wells will have to provide ALL of the City’s water needs, which is a challenge due to fluctuating water demand throughout the day. To ensure there are not any water shortages or damage to the system, more information will be shared with residents about how to limit your water use during this essential project.

View the videos below for more information.





Press 
WLEN Article: Tecumseh City Council awards bid to Paint Water Tower 

Daily Telegram Article: Tecumseh to ask residents to limit sprinkler usage during water tower painting project

Photo Updates as of 4-24-2024
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Photo Updates as of 4-10-2024
IMG_1845  Water Tower Update_04.10.2024  Water Tower Update2_04.10.2024

Important Information about the Water Tower

  • Painting and repairing the water tower is essential to preserving it. Painting the water tower decreases the risk of coating failures which can lead to rusting and holes which jeopodizes the lifespan of the water tower and it's ability to operate as a vital part of the City's water system.
  • The paint and chemicals (primers, paints, cleaners, etc.) used in the painting and repair project must meet NSF Standards. The City's project specifications state the following: Approval by ANSI/NSF Standard 61/600 is also a requirement for potable water contact coatings. City engineers verify all products used meets these standards, before application. 
  • The City water tower holds 500,000 gallons of drinking water.
  • The average daily use of water in Tecumseh is 700,000 gallons per day.
  • During times of high demand, we have seen 1.8 million gallons per day (2.57x as much water) used in the water system. Well pumps alone may struggle to maintain that amount of demand and flow to the system.
  • The water tower provides water pressure to the entire water system when the well pumps are not running.
  • The well pumps cycle on and off depending on the amount of water in the water tower.
  • At least 1 well pump will need to run constantly while the water tower is empty and out of service. A 2nd well pump will be set up to run as a backup if and when necessary.
  • High demand periods are spring and summer when residents and businesses are actively using water to flush fire hydrants, irrigate lawns and gardens, fill swimming pools, water flowers, let kids play in the sprinklers, wash vehicles, etc.
  • That is why we are attempting to have the water tower painting completed as early as possible this spring. It must be warm enough to paint, but not wait too long and get into the high demand months.
  • The water tower provides the water system additional capacity to endure times of high water demand (fire-fighting, irrigation system use, fire hydrant flushing, etc.
  • It is more than likely there will be water main breaks during this project period, and those also create potential high demand on the system. If anyone notices water bubbling up from the ground in the streets, please contact the city immediately so we can address that issue as quickly as possible.
  • As an example, during an average day, the system would use the amount of water in the water tower 1.3 times. During high demand, it would use over 2.6x the amount of water in the tower.