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Old reservoir cracking, in need of repair, River Heights is told By
Matt Stephens RIVER HEIGHTS -- The completion of a new water reservoir for the city is close at hand, but the old reservoir is not all it's "cracked" up to be. A preliminary structural evaluation of the existing reservoir, performed by Sargent Engineers Inc., revealed several cracks and deterioration of the reservoir's roof. "If left without repair the reservoir will continue to deteriorate, decreasing the service life of the structure and increasing the probability of failure," said Sargent Engineers' Steve Roberts and Craig Rasmussen. Estimated cost of the repairs according to the evaluation ranges from $34,500 to $70,000, depending on the extensiveness of the repairs. Constructed in 1965, the reservoir has cast-in-place concrete floors and walls. Sometime during or before the construction a decision was made to use a precast roof, designed to hold load substantially less than what is recommended by current design codes. The evaluation of the reservoir found deterioration of the precast members as well as cracks in the roof. According to the evaluation, "deterioration of the precast members is due to the lack of moisture protection -- weld plates do not appear to have been covered or otherwise protected from the moist conditions inside the reservoir." In addition, rain and snowmelt entering the tank through the cracks in the roof likely compounded the moisture problem and "appear to allow water to enter the reservoir through the roof, which could introduce contaminants to the water supply," the engineers said. The evaluation suggested restoring the reservoir to its original capacity by repairing deteriorated areas and repairing cracks in the roof.
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