By COLE REIF
Great Bend Post
The original water tower in Ellinwood was constructed in 1908. With the help of maintenance over the years, the water tower has stayed in good working condition. Fast forward 80 years, a second water tower was built in 1988.
Ellinwood City Administrator Chris Komarek said the town, with an estimated population of 2,000, uses both water towers.
"We just pump right into the system," said Komarek. "The water is treated at the wells. What is not used within the system through residents and businesses backs up into the towers. Once the towers get close to being full, the wells shut off and the water comes back out of the towers and into the system. It's a bowl that constantly fluctuates."
A $99,000 project was recently completed that sandblasted the inside of the older tower and repainted the exterior, that includes more of the Ellinwood school colors.
"We're very blessed to have two water towers," said Komarek. "Especially when you take one down like this for maintenance, it's pretty rough to maintain your water system, pressure and have any reserve in your system in case of a fire. By having two towers, when you take one out, it's not so critical."
The small tower in Ellinwood holds 50,000 gallons of water while the larger one holds 300,000 gallons. Komarek said the city uses approximately 7 million to 8 million gallons of water each month.