This project replaces Reservoir 3, a critical part of our drinking water system. The existing 100-year-old in-ground reservoir will be replaced with one eight-million-gallon and one 12-million-gallon cylindrical pre-stressed concrete reservoir.
Everett’s 2020 Comprehensive Water Plan called for a study of Reservoir 3. The study found that the reservoir would likely fail in a large earthquake and that maintenance improvements would not protect the reservoir. Based on this study, the age of the reservoir and how important the reservoir is to the City’s water system, it was decided to replace it with new reservoirs designed to current seismic standards. The new reservoirs will be located at the current site at 6107 Berkshire Drive.
Reservoir No. 3 was originally constructed 100 years ago as an in-ground square concrete open reservoir with a capacity of 20 million gallons (MG). A cover was built over the reservoir approximately 30 years ago.
The City decided to replace Reservoir No. 3 as quickly as possible because the cover is failing, and the reservoir itself is not likely to survive a large earthquake. Over half of the water produced by Everett flows through Reservoir 3, so taking it offline for an extended period for construction is not feasible. The decision was made to build one new 8-MG reservoir in Phase 1 while the existing 20 MG reservoir remains in service. Phase 2 will begin once the Phase 1 reservoir is in service and will include the demolition of the existing 20 MG reservoir and construction of a 12-MG reservoir at the same location.