Anticipated growth in Murphy to be met with water reserves

MURPHY (October 22, 2010) On Oct. 18, a second elevated water tower was erected within the City of Murphy to augment the supply of potable water to the growing community of expanding neighborhoods and increasing businesses, according to Customer Service Manager Candy McQuiston.

The new tower, completed under the direction of Landmark Tank Services, a worldwide leader in water tank construction and installation, is located adjacent to North Hill Park, at the intersection of Rodeo Dr. and Laredo Dr. and supplements the other elevated tank on Betsy Lane and Heritage Parkway, both in north Murphy. Each tank has a capacity of one million gallons of water.

In addition to the two elevated tanks, the City operates three ground storage tanks including one capable of holding two million gallons, one with a one million gallon capacity and another with a capacity of 250,000 gallons. The City’s water pressure is about 60 to 70 PSI (pounds per square inch) and supplies water to approximately 5,700 households and businesses.

“The City’s growth has been steady and constant, and we’ve known for some time that we would need additional water resources to keep up with it. The second elevated tower helps us both meet the current demand, and prepares us for the near future,” she said.

The City of Murphy, like many Collin County communities, purchases water from the North Texas Municipal Water District. With the combination of the water storage facilities and two large capacity supply lines passing through the city, the city is poised to provide sufficient water for the foreseeable future.

The recently-erected elevated water tank has an overall height of a little over 39 feet, about equivalent to a four- story building. The steel tank’s diameter is slightly less than 75 feet, almost 25 yards across the top of the tank.

The all-steel tank alone weighs approximately 87.5 tons. To raise the tank into position on top of the concrete pedestal, 20 hydraulic jacks, each with a capacity to handle 30 tons, were positioned at the top of the concrete support structure. Each jack shared the lifting load equally by hoisting about 4.38 tons, utilizing steel cables of over half-inch in diameter, similar to the cables used in house slabs.

The four-hour hoist began at 7 a.m. and took approximately four hours to complete. Precision in the hoisting was essential to ensure that the tank was level throughout the process.

The tank sports the distinctive logo of the City of Murphy on its sides.
“While our city is landlocked, we are still growing in population and in business activity. We have to be ready to provide basic services to all of our residents, today and tomorrow,” concluded McQuiston.