Construction begins on the elevated water tank at the Red Hills Business Park. The tower will stand 142 feet tall and hold about 3.7 million pounds of water, or 500,000 gallons.

Construction has begun on an elevated water tank in the Red Hills Business Park on U.S. 319 North.

The tower will stand 142 feet tall and hold about 3.7 million pounds of water, or 500,000 gallons.

To support the top-heavy structure, each of the tower’s five exterior legs have seven, 12-inch-diameter concrete pillars extending about 70 feet into the ground. The center leg has 10 supporting pillars.

The elevated water tank, scheduled to be completed in June, will provide the city with additional pressure and storage capacity.

“This tower is going to be a great asset to our water utilities,” said Water Superintendent Stacey Thomas. “This tank will provide our system with added water pressure, which allows us to serve additional customers as we grow. We will also benefit from the increase in our water storage capacity.”

The elevated water tank is only part of the about $11 million worth of water infrastructure improvements planned for City of Thomasville Utilities.

“In 2011, we were awarded funding from the Georgia Environmental Finance Authority,” Thomas said. “This funding, together with our new water tank, will allow us to construct a new water well, replace aging water lines and construct additional water mains.”