Communities across Iowa and the Midwest are reevaluating aging water infrastructure—especially elevated water towers that are costly to maintain and no longer meet operational needs.
At the American Water Works Association (AWWA) Iowa Section Region 1 Operator’s Meeting, Marc Ruden, PE, Water Resources Team Leader at Origin Design, shared a case study highlighting how one community approached this challenge.
The Challenge in Spillville
Spillville, Iowa relied on a 40,000‑gallon elevated water tower built around 1915. While the tower had served the community well, it was nearing the end of its service life and required ongoing maintenance. The system was also undersized for current and future needs, with pressure concerns in higher parts of the distribution system.
Evaluating Water Storage Options
Working with Origin Design, city leaders evaluated three options:
- Replacing the tower with a new elevated structure
- Combining ground storage and a booster station while keeping the existing tower
- Converting fully to ground storage with a booster station
Key decision factors included future demand, system pressure, up‑front and long‑term costs, maintenance requirements, and operational complexity.
“ Modernizing water infrastructure isn’t about replacing what worked 100 years ago—it’s about building a system that meets today’s demands and tomorrow’s needs. ”
Marc Ruden, PE Water Resources Team Leader | Origin Design
The Selected Solution
The City chose to replace the elevated tower with a ground storage reservoir and booster station located on City‑owned land. This approach reduced upfront costs, eliminated tower maintenance, improved system pressure, and provided more operational flexibility—while still meeting equalization and emergency storage needs.
The project included:
- New booster pumps with redundancy
- Ground storage sized for equalization and emergency demand
- SCADA controls for automated operation
- Targeted water main upgrades
- A carefully planned commissioning process
A Model for Other Communities
The Spillville case study demonstrates that replacing aging infrastructure isn’t always about building the same thing again. For many communities, ground storage and booster systems can provide a more sustainable, cost‑effective solution that improves long‑term performance.
If your community is evaluating water storage options, Origin Design’s Water Resources team can help guide the decision-making process from analysis through construction.
