Water tower project washes away City ’ s pressure problems
By Kay Kruse-Stanton
F
or several years , the northern portion of the City of Medford was under pressure for continued development .
Literally “ under pressure .”
Medford , population 4,400 , is a central Wisconsin city prime for development and growth . It ’ s bordered on two sides by major state highways and served by a regional airport . But the northern portion of the city is at a higher elevation than the rest of the community . As predicted in a 2015 study of Medford ’ s water system , water pressure to northern neighborhoods was near minimum levels required by state codes and standards to ensure fire protection . The pressure for development was there : the water pressure was not .
That changed in 2022 when the City ’ s third water tower went online – a project designed and coordinated by Ayres . The water study had suggested the possibility of installing a system of booster pumps to increase water pressure to the northern part of the city , according to Joe Harris , Medford ’ s city coordinator and director of public works .
“ But that would have cost as much as a tower and presented a constant expense to run and maintain ,” he said . “ Ayres looked
2 | TRENDS Ingenuity , Integrity , and Intelligence .