New Water Tower in O'Neill

O’NEILL, NE (News Channel Nebraska)- Construction continues for O’Neill’s newest water tower, a 2.3 million dollar project that officials say is much needed.

That’s according to O’Neill Water Commissioner, Curtis Kizzire, who says the aging infrastructure, located at Fourth and John Street, is not only outdated, but has been experiencing structural and operational issues.

“Interestingly enough, the old water tower, as far as I can tell from research is probably getting pretty close to 100 years old,” says Kizzire. “It’s an old, bolted rivet structure and we were having some issues with these tanks.”

Just last year, the city experienced water contamination problems that prompted officials to approve a new water tower structure.

Some of the issues with the city’s old tower included the inability to pump water in and out of the tank efficiently and need for extra water chlorination. The new 130 by 65 1/2 foot structure will hold close to 750,000 gallons of water and compared to the old one, this new water tower  will be compatible with the current water system.

“Well, what’s nice about it is it works into our long range, water steady plants,” says Kizzire. “So it’ll provide water for us, plus fire protection and all that.”

For now, the city will continue to use the old water tower, until the new one is fully functioning and operating. 

Something officials say will not be completed until sometime before winter.