Water Tower ‘Too Short’ and West Des Moines Water Works Officials Want to Know Why

Consultants told West Des Moines Water Works last week that the 88th Street tower, built in 2010 but never brought online, isn’t tall enough to adequately serve the area.

The problem is fixable, but Water Works officials want to know why the tower, which cost $3.2 to build, wasn’t constructed to specifications, the Des Moines Register reported.

Krishna Engineering Consultants of West Des Moines reportedly recommended in its water distribution study that the tank elevation should be 414 feet, the same as a nearby tower on 98th Street, but design plans called for a high-water level of 375 feet of elevation. Krishna also completed the design plans.

“At this point, we’re continuing to study why those numbers are different,” Water Works general manager Bill Garrett told the newspaper. “I don’t think we realized there was a discrepancy until within the last year or so.”