Project Overview

Wallingford is situated in the picturesque hills of Vermont near the Green Mountain National Forest. The Town of Wallingford hired the consulting firm of Wright Engineering, Rutland, VT, to perform a feasibility study for a new water storage tank. The requirements for the tank structure were low-maintenance cost, long-term durability, and an aesthetically pleasing appearance that would blend in with the natural terrain of the community’s surrounding area. After investigating all of the options, the Town and consulting engineer determined that an AWWA Type III wire-wound prestressed concrete tank met all of the criteria for the project. In 1999 Preload was chosen to design and construct the 540,000-gallon storage tank.

This Preload tank was designed with a 15’ side water depth, 11’ of which was buried underground. Its inside diameter measures 78’3”. The tank also was specially designed to accommodate differential backfill around the structure. These design aspects allowed the tank to be partially buried to reduce the visual impact to the community and to the restored natural surroundings.