GILROY
– City officials say they plan to landscape the huge water tank
recently erected in the foothills on the city’s west side, although
it will likely take a couple of years for new vegetation there to
grow out completely and achieve full effect.
GILROY – City officials say they plan to landscape the huge water tank recently erected in the foothills on the city’s west side, although it will likely take a couple of years for new vegetation there to grow out completely and achieve full effect.
Crews have already built an earthen berm that covers at least half of the high, wall-like concrete face of the tank that faces Santa Teresa Boulevard south of the Eagle Ridge development.
The city plans to plant redwood trees along the top of the berm to further screen the remaining concrete that isn’t buried. Crews will also plant them randomly in various places on the dirt berm, which will be hydroseeded with grasses that naturally grow in the area.
The purpose is to include the tank in the hillside and minimize its visual impact, officials said.
“We’re very optimistic about how the tank will look,” said City Engineer Richard Smelser. “I believe quite honestly in a few years it will be virtually invisible to the eye. It will blend right into the environment there.”
At roughly 5.5 million gallons, the tank is the city’s largest and came out of the city’s master plan for water services, Smelser said. The additional storage capacity is expected to boost the city’s supply in case of fires and also allow officials to save money by running well pumps during off-peak evening hours.
Officials estimate the money they save in pumping costs will pay for the construction of the roughly $4 million tank in about five years’ time, Smelser said.
City officials have been concerned about the design of the tank since it was conceived, Smelser said. An advantage of the concrete tank is that it is stronger than steel, allowing it to be built into the hillside and covered with dirt that will conceal much of the building, he said.
A strip of concrete at the top of the structure will be left uncovered by dirt, but will be screened with trees. The landscaping work is due to be complete in about a month, weather permitting.
“It will take a few years for some of the trees to develop, but we’re trying to plant large enough trees to get fairly good concealment immediately,” Smelser said.
The site will also feature a perimeter fence of black vinyl – which is supposed to be aesthetically low-profile – as well as security lighting, Smelser said.
“We want enough (light) so we can see any movement or activities there, but not to the point it’s overlit and shows up as a bright spectacle on the hillside,” he said.
