Vista Avenue Standpipe Project
By JOSEPH BLOCK, Village Manager

When an engineering study of Addison's water system reported that the normal operating pressure in an industrial park needed to be increased by 16 psi, it became immediately apparent that their existing 1.5 million gallon standpipe would be too short to operate under the proposed water pressure. Many alternative solutions to this problem were reviewed, such as replacing the existing standpipe with a taller one or constructing a pumping station to work in conjunction with the existing standpipe.

After a thorough study, a rather novel approach was hit upon. The standpipe could be made taller, by beefing up the foundation and adding an additional thirty-eight feet of steel shell to accommodate the increased water pressure. But because the existing standpipe was constructed of thinner steel in its upper reaches, the additional steel would have to be added to the bottom, rather than the top, of the standpipe. After considering all alternative solutions, this solution would save the Village approximately $250,000 in construction costs, over the cost of a new elevated reservoir.

The construction company began work in January 1989 and had the standpipe in operating condition by the end of August. The raising work was performed using twenty-six hydraulic jacks on the inside of the standpipe. It was raised eight feet at a time, at which time an eight foot section of steel shell would be welded into place. The attached photograph shows the stand-pipe after completion of the steel work but before painting. The final project cost, which included sandblasting and painting of the entire structure as well as additional underground piping on the site, was $620,000.

Page 10 / Illinois Municipal Review / November 1989