Tupelo hopes new water tower lowers home insurance rates

April 06--TUPELO -- A brand new water tower located near Purnell and Walsh roads is intended to improve Tupelo's fire rating and increase water pressure for residents in West Tupelo.

The new tower was filled with water Monday and energized Tuesday.

"This tower will serve the newly annexed areas in Chesterville and Belden," Tupelo Water & Light Director Johnny Timmons said. "Hopefully, the tower will reduce the fire protection rating and reduce insurance rates for homeowners."

Homeowners' insurance rates are largely based off of the fire protection rating in the area. This rating is based on several different factors such as the local fire department's training, number of people within local 911 communications and water availability.

Timmons said engineers performed a hydraulic study after the Mississippi State Rating Bureau instructed him and Tupelo Fire Department Chief Thomas Walker to build an elevated water structure. The hydraulic study was completed to determine the tank size and best location for the water tank.

"What they look at is, can you maintain so much water flow for an hour, for example, to fight a major fire?" Timmons said. "So this is exactly what we need, and it's going to work great for us in that aspect."

There is a high demand for usage and storage capacity in the area. The new tank will be able to hold up to 500 thousand gallons of water.

"The area has grown considerably, so there's a lot more water consumption out there than ever before," Timmons said.

Walker has been working with Timmons and the bureau to try and bring down the fire rating. He said the bureau would be coming for an inspection later this year, but for now all they can do is wait.

"We are not sure what the fire rating is or will be," Walker said. "There are a lot of steps that bureau goes through to determine the rating, and it is a long process."

However, Walker is hopeful that the tower can bring the rating down for the homeowners.

"I believe we have met a lot of the requirements the bureau looks at," he said. "I'm just glad we finally got the tank installed and pumped. Now, we don't have to worry about water supply in the area."

In 2015, the City Council approved a contract of purchase for a portion of land from a resident for $4,100 for the elevated water. Caldwell Tank Service in Louisville placed a winning bid of $1.192 million to build the tower. Construction started April 1, 2016 and ended March 11.

thomas.simpson@journalinc.com

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