On Sat, 30 Apr 2005 03:14:38 GMT, Dave S
wrote:

Think about it like this.. most water towers are in the 100 ft range to
get spigot pressures of 40-50 psi. Modern practice is now to get away
from towers and stick with continuous duty pumps, but the old style
still persists.

Really? This surprises me. Water towers offer a lot of benefits.

Water towers allow the purchase of smaller pumps, that will serve the
average water flow through the day, vs. peak rate. That saves initial
capital cost.

Water towers are sized to provide a day or so of water to the
community in the event that the pump breaks or power is interrupted.

Last, space on water towers are now leased to cellular carriers, so
the towers actually provide a revenue stream for the city.

OTOH, it probably costs a fair amount of money to build a water tower,
so the capital costs may outweight the benefits. Although for what
the cell carriers pay for leases, I'd be surprised if it didn't cover
the mortgage/bond on the water tower.