High Reservoir Restoration Project

At approximately 4:00 a.m., on Wednesday, January 18, 2023, a rupture occurred to the City of Lewiston’s high reservoir located along 16th Avenue in Lewiston. This rupture caused approximately three-million gallons of water to be released from the reservoir and resulted in localized flooding. City staff were at the scene during the incident and worked immediately to secure and assess the situation. An incident command system was promptly established nearby at the Lewiston Police Training Center facility. A Boil Water Alert Order was established at roughly 6:50 a.m. Mayor Daniel Johnson issued a Declaration of Local Disaster Emergency at approximately 11:30 a.m., and the Nez Perce County Commissioners voted to support the declaration. It was then sent to the Governor’s office for review. 

The Lewiston City Council declared an emergency at a Special Meeting on Thursday, January 19, 2023, and unanimously voted to authorize city personnel to spend up to $200,000 to purchase materials and services necessary to repair or replace water system infrastructure without needing to follow formal bidding procedures. “Essentially this expedites the process, if needed, to ensure staff can respond quickly to this emergency,” Public Works Director Dustin Johnson said. “This work is being done to help isolate the reservoir from the remainder of the city’s system.” View Resolution 2023-6, Emergency Expenditures - Water Storage. 

Between January 18th and January 25th, the City of Lewiston Public Works Department worked around the clock to restore regular service to water customers that remained under the boil water order. On January 25, 2023, staff drained the reservoir and were successful in isolating the reservoir and switching that portion of the water system to a different water source. 

The Boil Water Order was lifted on January 26, 2023, at approximately 5:00 p.m. The purpose of the Boil Water Order was precautionary. Since a rupture occurred and there was a hole in the reservoir, exposing the water it held to the atmosphere, it was open to possible contaminants, according to standards and regulations set by the Department of Environmental Quality. Water samples were taken daily and they all came back showing no contaminants. After the Boil Water Order was lifted, operational staff went to work trying to balance out the system, while other staff continued working with engineers and consultants to analyze how to address the lack of stored water in the system. 

At their regularly scheduled meeting on January 23, 2023, the Lewiston City Council voted to approve a continuance of the Local Disaster Emergency. 

On February 7, 2023, Mayor Daniel Johnson issued an Order Terminating the Local Disaster Emergency order originally instated on January 18, 2023. 

A technical document/update was presented to city staff on February 23, 2023, which outlined different scenarios for an interim fix to the reservoir. These scenarios were evaluated on their availability, price, and longevity.

On March 27, 2023, the Lewiston City Council approved a resolution for the scope of services for a recommendation to reuse the high reservoir. The proposal was to repair what was there and present a design with enough water-holding capacity to provide enough water storage to meet the City’s irrigation requirements. 

On April 17, 2023, the consulting engineering firm notified the Public Works Director that the first plan option would not be viable based on the compressed timeframe. The team immediately began moving forward with exploring a modified plan. 

Irrigation restrictions for all City of Lewiston water customers within the highlighted service area shown on this map were initiated and will remain in effect until further notice. These customers are being asked to use hand-watering methods only. This involves using a hand-held hose equipped with an automatic shut-off mechanism, such as a pistol nozzle, a trigger-spray hose nozzle, or other automatic positive shut-off nozzles. 

Due to a need for additional funds for the High Reservoir restoration repairs, Council approved an amendment to the previous resolution authorizing emergency expenditures, authorizing an additional $2,600,000. 

At a special meeting held on May 4, 2023, the Lewiston City Council approved the newly proposed solution, which includes removing the damaged roof of the high reservoir, placing a liner inside the high reservoir, and covering the high reservoir with a floating cover.

Demolition of the City's high reservoir roof structure is currently in progress. Once the demolition is completed, the site cleanup will commence, followed by the construction of the concrete reservoir walls. We understand the importance of keeping our community informed, and we will make sure to provide updates on the progress of this project. 

Please note that irrigation restrictions remain in effect for the City of Lewiston water customers within the service area identified on the service area map, which can be accessed at https://www.cityoflewiston.org/752/Irrigation-Restrictions. 

With the temperatures rising, the demand for irrigation water is also on the rise. City staff is keeping a close eye on the water system and how it is functioning as the temperatures continue to climb. Based on how the system continues to run as temperatures rise, modifications may be made to irrigation restrictions. 

The demolition and cleanup of the City's high reservoir roof structure is complete. All the materials depicted in the photo provided in the slideshow shown above have been removed from the site. Moving forward, the next step will be to prep the concrete structure and piping. Staff is also finalizing the construction design for approval through the Department of Environmental Quality. 

Please note that irrigation restrictions remain in effect for City of Lewiston water customers within the service area identified on the service area map, which can be accessed at https://www.cityoflewiston.org/752/Irrigation-Restrictions. 

As temperatures rise, the demand for irrigation water increases. Our city staff closely monitors the water system's functionality in response to these rising temperatures. Thanks to our customers' understanding and cooperation, we have successfully averted a system failure despite the high demand for irrigation water during this season. Historical water usage data confirms that, without the community’s water conservation efforts, the normal demand would have surpassed the available water supply.