Holding water for future use, sometimes water towers are designed to be hidden while others are designed as a focal point in its community. Below are a few creative water towers from across the country.
A Friendly Hello in Kentucky
Visible to drivers on I-75, this clever water tower didn’t always have the welcoming greeting. In 1974, the words “Florence Mall” were painted on the water tower to advertise an upcoming mall-style shopping center. Due to restrictions of how tall a sign promoting a business could be, this advertisement was deemed a violation of the law. After a brainstorming session with staff, Mayor CM “Hop” Ewing announced the idea of changing the word “mall” to “y’all” as a cost effective solution.
Pride of the Watermelon in Texas
This 154 foot tall water tower is painted to resemble a watermelon, proudly displaying the community’s pride of the Luling, Texas, watermelon market and its annual “Watermelon Thump” festival. Since 1954, this festival has been held to celebrate the watermelon growers and promote the Luling watermelon market.
The Best Park of Wakin' Up in Iowa
This small community is home to not just one, but two interesting water towers. The Swedish coffee pot water tower is large enough to hold 640,000 cups of coffee. The newer Swedish coffee cup was built in 2000 and can hold 2,400,000 cups of coffee! Stanton is also the birthplace of Virginia Christine who played “Mrs. Olsen” on over 100 Folgers Coffee television commercials.
But...How Does a Water Tower Work?
Water towers serve as an additional water supply for the community, storing any excess water after it has been treated. Typically, the water serving a community comes from a well, river, or a reservoir. This water is then treated at a water treatment plant to remove sediments and bacteria. After treatment, the clean water is then pumped to the water system’s feeder pipes and out to the community. If the pump creates more water than needed, the excess water automatically flows into the overhead water tank. If more water is needed, the excess water flows down from the tank with the tank’s height providing adequate water pressure.
Regardless of a water tower’s appearance, it functions as a key component to the local water supply.
Share your interesting water tower finds in the comments below!
Sources: Florence KY Online, StantonIowa.com, City of Luling Official Website, IMDB.com, HowStuffWorks.com
Photo Credits: Florence, Kentucky, Monica Mosure; Luling, Texas, http://roadtrippers.com; Stanton, Iowa, http://stantoniowa.com/