Illinois American Water is rehabilitating the 68,000 gallon water storage tank located on Walnut Street in the Village of Dana. The investment of approximately $400,000 will help extend the life of the 115-foot-tall storage tank and ensure safe drinking water for today and in the future.

Work will kick off this month on the steel standpipe tank which was originally constructed over a decade ago. The tank will be taken out of service to complete the necessary work, which includes inspection and maintenance as well as painting to the interior and exterior. Tank painting will be completed under a canvas shroud to ensure debris and paint does not escape. The old paint will be sandblasted off and a primer coat will be applied to prevent rusting. Crews will then paint an intermediate coat before applying a third and final coat.

According to Jon Mase, operations supervisor, this investment will enhance reliability and longevity of the tank. “Water tanks not only serve a vital role in our water distribution systems, but they serve as landmarks for communities. We are excited to give this tank a facelift,” said Mase.

Water service will not be significantly affected by the tank improvements. At the most, customers may notice a slight variation in water pressure as a result of the tank being out of service. The quality of the water flowing to customers’ homes and businesses will not be affected and will continue to meet all federal and state water quality regulations.

Once the work is completed, the tank will be inspected and placed back in service. The project is expected to be completed in September.

About Illinois American Water - Illinois American Water, a subsidiary of American Water (NYSE: AWK), is the largest investor-owned water utility in the state, providing high-quality and reliable water and/or wastewater services to approximately 1.3 million people. American Water also operates a customer service center in Alton and a quality control and research laboratory in Belleville.

With a history dating back to 1886, American Water is the largest and most geographically diverse U.S. publicly-traded water and wastewater utility company. The company employs more than 7,100 dedicated professionals who provide regulated and market-based drinking water, wastewater and other related services to over 14 million people in 45 states and Ontario, Canada. American Water provides safe, clean, affordable and reliable water services to our customers to make sure we keep their lives flowing. For more information, visit amwater.com and follow American Water on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.