Large cylinders are laying near the beginning of a structure being erected, which will eventually be the newest water tower for Webster City.

This 250,000 gallon water tower was approved in the fall of 2024 by the city council of Webster City, in a cooperative arrangement with the Van Diest company.

Under the agreement, the company paid for the planning, design and construction of the new tower. The city will assume normal maintenance and operating costs.

There is nothing new about this project. In 1999, the city agreed to build an extension to the city’s water main and a new pump station was added to provide additional water to the plant. Although Van Diest Supply is outside the city limits, it is within the city’s two-mile jurisdiction.

The additional water tower was necessary to provide an additional amount of water to the Van Diest company. This move was made for safety. The Van Diest insurance company had determined that the plant needed additional water capacity in the event there would ever be a fire at the company site.

The construction agreement requires that 180,000 gallons must be in the water tower at all times for the exclusive use by Van Diest. This will leave a 70,000 gallon surplus.

In addition to the tower itself, which will be bulb-shaped, the project includes the necessary pumps, mixer, emergency back-up electrical power capabilities, lighting and AMR water metering compatible with the city’s new system, on-site piping, connections, electrical supply and controls.

The work on the project began on site in January this year by Maguire Iron out of Sioux Falls, South Dakota.