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NEWPORT — Newport has a projected time frame for its project to repair a city water tank with a leak.
Located off West Quail Street, the water tank has a capacity of 900,000 gallons but is losing about 120,000 gallons a day to the leak. This project, funded by an $844,421 loan with 1.75% interest from the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund, will not only stop the leak, but also extend the water tank’s life by 20 years.
The city expects to start the repair work in spring 2026. Before then, the city must contract with a contractor, undergo a State Environmental Policy Act review, receive approval for its engineering plans and complete other paperwork.
“We’re just working through and finding out ways that we can help build better resiliency and better stewardship of drinking water,” city administrator Abby Gribi said.
Newport has two other water tanks. Gribi said the one off West Quail Street has been leaking “for a while,” and she was informed of the leak about two years ago.
Since then, the city has managed to maintain water pressure and availability for residents at an increased demand on the rest of the water system. By stopping the leak, the city will no longer have to produce as much water. This may decrease operations and maintenance costs and even water rates, though Gribi cautions that it would not be by a significant amount.
“We’re just working on finding funding opportunities so that we can start really making impacts,” Gribi said. “This one was identified because of the size of the leak that it was a high priority.”
The repair work itself involves coating joints and structural cracks, replacing the existing tank hatch, repairing the roof and sealing, sealing all screens and installing a second air vent.
In addition to the repair work, the $844,421 loan covers engineering and the aforementioned paperwork. If the city were to replace the water tank with a new one, Gribi estimated that would cost at least $3 million.
The city has yet to finalize a plan for repayment of the $844,421 loan, which has a term of 24 years.
“This is a singular phase [project],” Gribi said. “So once this is done, that rehab project will be complete, and we will gain at least 20 years useful life out of the asset.”
Like many municipalities all over the county, Newport established its water system and other utilities in the 1960s and ‘70s, Gribi said. However, it did so without properly implementing processes for the maintenance and replacement of infrastructure — infrastructure that is now reaching the end of its life.
Moreover, smaller municipalities like Newport have fewer residents to pay water and other infrastructure rates — something the city hopes will change with more developments in Newport. As of now, Newport has a population of about 2,200.
“When you look at these big projects, they’re big numbers,” Gribi said. “And when you don’t have the population to spread that rate out, it’s more impactful.”
