Water Station 5 is relatively inconspicuous from East Mill Plain Boulevard, but from above the mysterious building paints a clearer picture. The site is home to a water tower, covered water reservoir and a pump station. Amanda Cowan/The Columbian Photo Gallery
For the last 30 years, Ronelle Tibbits has passed by a nondescript building that spans almost an entire city block and wondered what it was.
The building sits just west of Vancouver’s Fire Station 3 on Mill Plain at Devine Street. It’s fenced off and barely visible from the street. The only clue nearby is a water tower.
It’s a big clue. The building is a city water reservoir that holds up to 8 million gallons. It’s one of several reservoirs storing 24 million gallons of water citywide. The specific number of reservoirs and their locations isn’t something the city readily divulges, though, because of national safeguards implemented after the 9/11 attacks, according to Loretta Callahan, public information officer for Vancouver Public Works.
“It’s something we remain mindful of,” Callahan said.
While their exact locations will remain a mystery, she did say there are a total of 10 water reservoirs in the city.
In addition to the water reservoirs, Vancouver boasts 40 wells and nine water stations. The city’s water system serves 240,000 customers and boasts 1,000 miles of distribution pipe.
Tyler Clary, Vancouver’s water systems and engineering program manager, said the reservoir was built by the Vancouver Housing Authority in the early 1940s to support the needs of housing built alongside the World War II shipyards.
The housing authority transferred ownership to the city after the war concluded. By 1955, Vancouver made the choice to enclose the reservoir to protect the water supply.
In addition to the reservoir, the site includes the aforementioned water tower and a pump station. The specific site in question is known as Water Station 5.
Later this year, the 750,000-gallon tower will benefit from seismic upgrades. The reservoir and pump station are also tentatively being replaced. But construction isn’t planned to begin until 2020.
Where city gets its water
Vancouver’s water comes from three different aquifers. The main supply comes from the upper and lower Orchards Aquifer and the Upper Troutdale Aquifer. When either of these supplies are not available, water is pulled from the deeper Sand-and-Gravel Aquifer.
The Upper Orchards Aquifer is refilled by rainfall, so the city monitors its levels closely.
The Lower Orchards Aquifer, however, is likely filled by the Columbia River and is relatively stable — even with heavy use. This aquifer supplies three of Vancouver’s most demanding water stations.
The Upper Troutdale Aquifer gets its water from downward movement of groundwater from overlying aquifers. These include the Upper Orchards Aquifer.
Deeper underground, the Sand-and-Gravel Aquifer is believed to get its water from either the Columbia River or other aquifers. This aquifer stores a large amount of water underground.
Clark Public Utilities serves the rest of Clark County, which amounts to about 35,000 customers. Erica Erland, Clark Public Utilities spokeswoman, said most utility water customers live in Hazel Dell and Salmon Creek.
Their water also comes from an aquifer system which pulls from the Carol J. Curtis Well Field off Fruit Valley Road. The well field was completed in 2010 and added 7.2 million gallons of daily pumping capacity.
Clark Public Utilities has a total of 33 water reservoirs in the system, with capacity of more than 24 million gallons.
The utility is building a new well known as Paradise Point, but it’s not expected to come online until 2019.
“Water systems are interesting because you have to plan decades in advance,” Erland added.
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