Colbert council again pondering water tank

Another tank would up the city’s storage capacity as well as improve the water flow needed for firefighting in that portion of the city.

“We need it for the fire flow on this side of town particularly,” Waggoner said.

Colbert’s current water capacity is 100,000 gallons.

The city leaders discussed the possibility of building a 200,000 gallon tank back in October, but never revisited the matter.

For residents in the Colbert Fire District, greater capacity and flow could mean a lower ISO rating, which would translate into lower fire insurance rates.

Attorney Dale Perry is currently reviewing Colbert’s 2003 ISO report.

Another water tank would certainly help, he said.

“If you put another water tank in and increase the water pressure on this side of town, it’s going to make a big difference,” Perry said.

The Colbert Fire District, which extends beyond Colbert’s city limits, missed scoring a “5” by .05 of a point.

“A little bit of work here and I think they could be a class 5 … I think a lot of it is probably paperwork exercises,” Perry said. “That would put some money back in people’s pockets if you bring it down to a five.”

Waggoner said he might ask engineer Chris Quigley to attend Colbert’s next meeting to further discuss adding a water tank.

“With all this talk of infrastructure money going around, it might be a good time to do it,” Waggoner said.