City putting $2.3 million lid on massive reservoir

Reservoir 4.
Reservoir 4 from above.


The cost: $2.3 million.









UPDATE: Will it be recycled? 





5 thoughts on “City putting $2.3 million lid on massive reservoir

  1. I’m not an engineer, and I’m not an accountant, but I can add.

    If the original plastic lid cost $500,000 and lasted from ’81 to ’02 then it cost $24k a year. If the new lid only lasted 14 years, it cost $35k per year. If you added the two together the cost per year was $29k? Considering the current lid hasn’t failed, I’d tend to lean towards the original $24k per year figure.

    But $2.3 million for a hard top divided by 50 years is $46k per year. It would need to last almost a 100 years just to break even.

    1. I did ask the question “why is it costing so much?” And the answer was that this one will improve water quality and last 50 years, though it costs more.

      1. How/how much will it improve water quality? What impact will that have on users? Will this have any net positive economic impact? Does having better water quality (meaning improving our quality from our current level to this new level) translate into fewer emergency room visits or less money on other services?

        The crux of my questions is: Is this a problem that needs solving?

        1. Hey Arthur,

          I talked with Davis some more after Robin raised the cost concerns too. Here’s what he said:

          “We performed a life cycle cost analysis and determined that an aluminum cover would be more cost-effective than ongoing replacement with soft covers. Our analysis indicated that over the 50 year life-span of a hard cover, soft cover replacement would cost approximately $2.8M, compared to $2.3M for the hard cover. Additionally, we are much more confident about the protection of our water supply with a hard cover compared to a soft cover that could be more easily compromised by degradation or vandalism. But even if the hard cover was more expensive, it has significant advantages, including minimal maintenance requirements, durability, longevity, and security. Also note that the new cover is being funded by a low interest (1%) 20-year loan.”

          1. Thanks Josh. Any chance those analysis are available to the public? Not trying to micromanage someone doing their job, nor am I an expert, but it would be an interesting insight into what factors they take under advisement and how they calculate overall costs.

            As Robin pointed out, on a straight cost per year of the physical purchase, the soft cover is definitely more cost effective, but I’m sure draining the reservoir every 15yrs costs significant amounts of money, as does the planning cycle, procurement, etc.

            I’m interested to see the total cost of ownership of the hard cover vs the soft cover. We have initial procurement costs of each, but only the TCO of the soft cover (unless the $2.3m for the hard cover includes the TCO).

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