County Board to Vote on Lee Heights Water Reservoir Restoration

The county is considering rehabbing the old Lee Heights Water Reservoirs with a restoration project.

This Saturday, July 13, the Arlington County Board will vote on the project which to rehabilitate two of the water tanks located at 24th Street N. and N. Wakefield Street in the Lee Heights area.

The winning bidder, with a $837,524 contract, is Loudoun-based civil engineering company Freyssinet USA.

The two dome-roofed tanks are buried in concrete and were built in 1957, according to a staff report to the Board. They help pump water into an elevated tank and together store a combined 6 million gallons of water.

“The tanks are built on a hill with varying heights of 4′-20′ of the 31-foot tall concrete wall exposed above grade,” the report notes. “The recent inspection conducted in 2017 concluded that the surface concrete on the outside of the tanks is deteriorating in many areas and spot concrete repairs are needed inside the tanks.”

Staff noted in the report that the contractor will work on one tank at a time to maintain water service:

The work proposed under this contract will replace the deteriorating concrete areas inside and outside the tanks. It will consist of removing and replacing the existing coating on the concrete wall and roof; replace the drip edge; excavation around the tank perimeter to assess/repair concrete above frost line; and replacing the deteriorated concrete. Project duration is estimated at nine months. Each of the two tanks will be worked on separately while the other remains in service to ensure water service and reliability are maintained.

Board approval is required to approve contracts above $250,000. If members approve this contact, the county will award $837,524 to Freyssinet and with additional $139,587 contingency for unexpected expenses.

Image 1 via Google Maps, image 2 via Arlington County