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Louisville Water Tower, one of the few remaining standpipe water towers in the United States. It was completed in 1860.

The Water Tower of Aalsmeer, the Netherlands was completed in 1928 in an Art Deco style.

A water tower is an elevated structure supporting a watertank constructed at a height sufficient to pressurize a water supply system for the distribution of potable water.

Pressurization occurs through the hydrostatic pressure of the elevation of water; for every 10.20 centimetres (4.016 in) of elevation, it produces 1 kilopascal (0.145 psi) of pressure. 30 m (98.43 ft) of elevation produces roughly 300 kPa (43.511 psi), which is enough pressure to operate and provide for most domestic water pressure and distribution system requirements.

Many water towers were constructed during the Industrial Revolution; some are now considered architectural landmarks and monuments, and may not be demolished. Some are converted to apartments or exclusive penthouses.^{[citation needed]}

In certain areas, such as New York City in the United States, smaller water towers are constructed for individual buildings. In California and some other states, domestic water towers enclosed by siding (tankhouses) were once built (1850s-1930s) to supply individual homes; windmills pumped water from hand-dug wells up into the tank.

In 2009, the USDA announced that the largest man made water tower is located in McBee, South Carolina and holds 1,200,000 US gal (4,500,000 l) of water. This water tower was built and is operated by Alligator Water and Sewer.^{[citation needed]}

Construction[link]

A variety of materials can be used to construct a typical water tower; steel and reinforced or prestressed concrete are most often used (with wood, fiberglass, or brick also in use), incorporating an interior coating to protect the water from any effects from the lining material. The reservoir in the tower may be spherical, cylindrical, or an ellipsoid, with a minimum height of approximately 6 metres (20 ft) and a minimum of 4 m (13 ft) in diameter.^{[citation needed]} A standard water tower typically has a height of approximately 40 m (130 ft).

Purpose[link]

Shooter's Hill water tower is a local landmark in London, United Kingdom. Water towers are very common around London suburbs.

The users of the water supply (a town, factory, or just a building) need to have water pressure to maintain the safety of the water supply. If a water supply is not pressurized sufficiently, several things can happen:

• Water may not reach the upper floors of a building;
• Water may not spray from a tap with sufficient flow
• Without a water tower, parts of gravity flow water supply systems in hilly areas may be subject to negative pressures (see siphon). Negative pressure in the system may cause shallow groundwater to be pulled into a leaky water supply system, polluting it with microorganisms, dirt, sand, fertilizers, and any other toxic contaminants that may be in the groundwater;

Water towers are able to supply water even during power outages, because they rely on hydrostatic pressure produced by elevation of water (due to gravity) to push the water into domestic and industrial water distribution systems; however, they cannot supply the water for a long time without electricity, because a pump is required to refill the tower. A water tower also serves as a reservoir to help with water needs during peak usage times. The water level in the tower typically falls during the peak usage hours of the day, and then a pump fills it back up during the night. This process also keeps the water from freezing in cold weather, since the tower is constantly being drained and refilled.

Operation[link]

How a water tower works:
1. Pump station
2. Reservoir
3. Water user

The height of the tower provides the pressure for the water supply system, and it may be supplemented with a pump. The volume of the reservoir and diameter of the piping provide and sustain flow rate. However, relying on a pump to provide pressure is expensive; to keep up with varying demand, the pump would have to be sized to meet peak demands. During periods of low demand, jockey pumps are used to meet these lower water flow requirements. The water tower reduces the need for electrical consumption of cycling pumps and thus the need for an expensive pump control system, as this system would have to be sized sufficiently to give the same pressure at high flow rates.

Very high volumes and flow rates are needed when fighting fires. With a water tower present, pumps can be sized for average demand, not peak demand; the water tower can provide water pressure during the day and pumps will refill the water tower when demands are lower.

Using wireless sensor networks to monitor water levels inside the tower allows municipalities to automatically monitor and control pumps without installing and maintaining expensive data cables.^[1]

Decoration[link]

The House in the Clouds in Thorpeness functioned as the town's water tower from 1923 until 1977.

Water towers can be surrounded by ornate coverings including fancy brickwork, a large ivy-covered trellis or they can be simply painted. Some city water towers have the name of the city painted in large letters on the roof, as a navigational aid to aviators and motorists. Sometimes the decoration can be humorous. An example of this are water towers built side by side, labeled HOT and COLD. Cities in the United States possessing side-by-side water towers labeled HOT and COLD include Granger, Iowa, Canton, Kansas, and St. James, Missouri (Eveleth, Minnesota at one time had two such towers, but no longer does^[2]). When a third water tower was built next to the Okemah, Oklahoma set of Hot and Cold towers, the town briefly considered naming it "Running", but eventually decided to use "Home of Woody Guthrie". The House in the Clouds in Thorpeness, located in the English county of Suffolk, was built to resemble a house in order to disguise the eyesore, whilst the lower floors were used for accommodation. When the town was connected to the mains water supply, the water tower was dismantled and converted to additional living space.

Sapp Bros. truck stops use a water tower with a handle and spout – looking like a coffee pot – as the company logo. Many of their facilities have decorated actual water towers (presumably non-functional) on-site.

The first and original "Mushroom" – Svampen in Swedish – was built in Örebro in Sweden in the early 1950s and later copies were built around the world including Saudi-Arabia and Kuwait.^{[citation needed]}

Many small towns in the United States use their water towers to advertise local tourism, their local high school sports teams, or other locally notable facts.^{[citation needed]} Since the water tower is sometimes the highest point in the town, antennae, public address systems, cameras and tornado warning sirens are sometimes placed on them as well.

Many water towers serve manufacturing and other commercial facilities. These are often decorated with the name of the company that the water tower serves.

Water Towers around the World[link]

This section requires expansion.

Water towers are ubiquitous in the New York City skyline, United States.

In the 19th century, New York City required that all buildings higher than six stories be equipped with a rooftop water tower. This was necessary to prevent the need for excessively high pressures at lower elevations, which could burst pipes.^{[citation needed]} In modern times, the towers have become fashionable in some circles. As of 2006^[update], the neighborhood of Tribeca requires water towers on all buildings, whether or not they are being used.^{[citation needed]} Two companies in New York build water towers, both of which are family businesses in operation since the 19th century.^[3]

The original water tower builders were barrel makers who expanded their craft to meet a modern need as buildings in the city grew taller in height. Even today, no sealant is used to hold the water in. The wooden walls of the Water Tower are held together with cables but leak through the gaps when first filled. As the water saturates the wood it swells, the gaps close and become impermeable.^[4]

The rooftop water towers store 25,000 litres (5,500 imp gal) to 50,000 litres (11,000 imp gal) of water until it is needed in the building below. The upper portion of water is skimmed off the top for everyday use while the water in the bottom of the tower is held in reserve to fight fire. When the water drops below a certain level, a pressure switch, level switch or float valve will activate a pump or open a public water line to refill the water tower.^[4]

Architects and builders have taken varied approaches to incorporating water towers into the design of their buildings. On many large commercial buildings, water towers are completely hidden behind an extension of the facade of the building. For cosmetic reasons, apartment buildings often enclose their tanks in rooftop structures, either simple unadorned rooftop boxes, or ornately decorated structures intended to enhance the visual appeal of the building. Many buildings, however, leave their water towers in plain view atop utilitarian framework structures.

The mushroom-shaped concrete water tower of Roihuvuori in Helsinki, Finland was built in the 1970s. It is 52 metres high and can hold around 12,000 m³ of water.

Water towers are very common in India, where the electricity supply is erratic in most places.

In many countries, water towers have been taken out of the water supply system and replaced by pumps alone.^{[citation needed]}However, this approach is dependent on continuous pumping; if the pumps fail (such as during a power outage), then water pressure will be lost, causing potential public health concerns. Many states require a "boil water" notice to be issued if water pressure drops below 20 psi.

Water towers are often regarded as monuments of civil engineering.^{[citation needed]} Some are converted to serve modern purposes, as for example, the Wieża Ciśnień in Wrocław, Poland which is today a restaurant complex. Others have been converted to residential use.^[5]

Historically, railroads that used steam locomotives required a means of replenishing the locomotive's tenders. Water towers were common along the railroad. The tenders were usually replenished by water cranes, which were fed by a water tower.

Some water towers are also used as observation towers, and some restaurants, such as the Goldbergturm in Sindelfingen, Germany, or the second of the three Kuwait Towers, in the City-State of Kuwait. It is also common to use water towers as the location of transmission mechanisms in the UHF range with small power, for instance for closed rural broadcasting service, portable radio, or cellular telephone service. In hilly regions, local topography can be substituted for structures to elevate the tanks. These tanks are often nothing more than concrete cisterns terraced into the sides of local hills or mountains, but function identically to the traditional water tower. The tops of these tanks can be landscaped or used as park space, if desired.

Spheres and spheroids[link]

Eindhoven Water Towers

Union Watersphere

The Chicago Bridge and Iron Company have built many of the water spheres and spheriods found in the United States,^[6] The website World's Tallest Water Sphere describes the distinction between a water sphere and water spheroid thus:

A water sphere is a type of water tower that has a large sphere at the top of its post. The sphere looks like a golf ball sitting on a tee, or a round lollipop. A cross section of a sphere is a perfect circle. A water spheroid looks like a water sphere, but the top is wider than it is tall. A spheroid looks like a round pillow that is somewhat flattened. A cross section of a sphere is an ellipse. Both spheres and spheroids are special-case ellipsoids: spheres have symmetry in 3 directions, spheroids have symmetry in 2 directions (east-west, north-south, but not top-bottom), and scalene ellipsoids have 3 unequal length axes.^[7]

The Union Watersphere is a water tower topped with a sphere-shaped water tank in Union, New Jersey^[8] and until 2012 characterized as the World's Tallest Water Sphere.^[9] Able to contain 500,000 US gallons (1,900 m³)^[10] a sphere-topped water tower 219.75 ft (66.98 m) tall was completed in Erwin, North Carolina in early 2012.^[9] The water tower in Braman, Oklahoma, built by the Kaw Nation and completed in 2010, is 220.6 ft (67.2 m) tall and can hold 350,000 US gallons (1,300 m³).^[11] Slighty taller than the Union Watersphere, it is technically a spheroid.^[12] Another tower in Oklahoma, built in 1986 and billed as the "largest water tower in the country", is 218 ft (66 m) tall, can hold 500,000 US gallons (1,900 m³), and is located in Edmond.^[13][14]

The Earthoid, a perfectly spherical tank located in Germantown, Maryland is 100 ft (30 m) tall and holds 2,000,000 US gallons (7,600 m³) gallons of water. The name is tanken from it being painted to resemble a globe of the world.^{[15][16][17][18]} The golf ball-shaped tank of the water tower at Gonzales, California is supported by three tubular legs and reaches about 125 ft (38 m) high.^[19][20][21] The Watertoren (or Water Towers) in Eindhoven, Netherlands contain three spherical tanks, each 10 m (33 ft) in diameter and capable of holding 500 cubic metres (130,000 USgal) of water, on three 43.45 m (142.6 ft) spires were completed in 1970.^[22][23]

Alternatives[link]

Alternatives to water towers are simple pumps mounted on top of the water pipes to increase the water pressure.^[24] This new approach is more straightforward, but also more subject to potential public health risks; if the pumps fail, then loss of water pressure will result in potential public health impacts, typically associated with entry of contaminants into the water system.^{[dubious – discuss]} Most large water utilities do not use this approach, given the potential risks.^{[dubious – discuss][citation needed]}

Famous Towers[link]

Water tower in Rochester, Minnesota painted as an ear of corn.

Twin water towers in Goole, East Riding of Yorkshire, dubbed the "salt and pepper pots". Note the two distinct ages and architectural types

Canada[link]

• Guaranteed Pure Milk bottle in Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Slovenia[link]

• Brežice Water Tower in Brežice

United Kingdom[link]

• Dock Tower in Grimsby
• House in the Clouds in Thorpeness, Suffolk
• Jumbo in Colchester, Essex
• Tilehurst Water Tower in Reading

United States[link]

• Brooks Catsup Bottle Water Tower near Collinsville, Illinois
• Corn Cob Water Tower in Rochester, Minnesota
• Earful Tower at Disney's Hollywood Studios
• Florence Y'all Water Tower in Florence, Kentucky
• Leaning Water Tower in Groom, Texas
• The Milaca Tin Man Tower of Milaca, MN
• Old Rustic, Warner Brother's style Water Towers (possibly from the 1920s) around peanut plants and more in Ozark, AL
• Peachoid next to I-85 on the edge of Gaffney, South Carolina
• Union Watersphere in Union Township, New Jersey
• Volunteer Park Water Tower in Capitol Hill, Seattle, Washington
• Warner Bros. Studios Water Tower in Burbank, California (In the animated TV series Animaniacs, it was used to incarcerate the characters Yakko, Wakko, and Dot, as well as to serve as their home.)
• Ypsilanti Water Tower (Winner of the Most Phallic Building contest)
• Weehawken Water Tower in Weehawken, New Jersey

Indonesia[link]

• Water Tower Jonggrangan, Klaten, 147 m (482 ft)

Slovakia[link]

• Trnava Water Tower, Trnava, 50 m (164 ft)

Standpipe water towers

There were originally 400 standpipe water towers in the United States, but as of 1980, only seven remain, including:^[25][26]

• Chicago Water Tower in Chicago, Illinois
• Louisville Water Tower, in Louisville, Kentucky
• North Point Water Tower, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (see National Register of Historic Places listings in Milwaukee, Wisconsin)
• St. Louis, Missouri has three standpipe water towers which are National Historic Landmarks.
  • Bissell Tower (also known as the Red Tower)
  • Compton Hill Tower
  • Grand Avenue Water Tower

Gallery[link]

Water Towers, featured in Kuwait City , Kuwait   Painted watertower overlooking in Prince George's County, Maryland, USA   Wold's lagest water tower. Located in McBee, South Carolina   An old Riyadh Water Tower, Saudi Arabia   Trollhättan Water Tower, Sweden   Water tower by V.Shukhov - the world's first hyperboloid structure, Russia, 1896   The local water tower at Grandview in Hampton, Virginia, United States   Brick-built water tower in Kimberley, Nottinghamshire, United Kingdom   Everton Water Tower in Liverpool, United Kingdom   Water tower at Saint-Parize-le-Châtel, France   Compton Hill Water Tower, St. Louis, Missouri, United States. A unique dual tower design   Leaning water tower, found east of Groom, Texas along I-40 (old U.S. Route 66)   1886 water tower in Colmar, France   Water tower in Gödöllő, Hungary   Water Tower in Gyöngyös, Hungary   1960s water tower shaped like a cone, Tonwell, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom   The Peachoid water tower in Gaffney, South Carolina, United States, built in 1981   The old and new water towers in Nicollet, Minnesota, United States   Water tower in Melbourne, Florida, United States   Water tower in Claxton, Georgia, United States Water tower in Claxton, Georgia, United States   Water tower in Blaine, Minnesota, United States   A typical Midwestern water tower in Salina, Kansas, United States   Brooks Catsup Bottle Water Tower, Collinsville, Illinois, USA. World's largest ketchup bottle   Auburn Tigers-themed tower in Auburn, Alabama, United States   One of UC Davis' two iconic water towers in Davis, California, United States   Power and Water owned Water Tower located in Darwin, Australia   Large water tower in Darwin, Australia   Former Darwin RAAF control and water tower   Typical water tower in Russian countryside   Water tower in Beaver, Ohio, United States. This is the tallest structure in the rural village Water tower in Beaver, Ohio, United States. This is the tallest structure in the rural village   Water tower in the hamlet of Olcott Beach, part of Newfane, New York, United States   Hyllie water tower at night in Malmö, Sweden. The tower is always lit at night   Water towers in Riga, Latvia   Jumbo, a water tower in Colchester, Essex, United Kingdom   Disused water tower in Banks, Lancashire, United Kingdom   Former water tower in Oberkrämer-Schwante   Water tower in Metz, Lorraine, France   Water tower at Randolph Air Force Base, which is above an administrative building   The water tower in Water Park, Kaohsiung City, Taiwan   Kuwait Water Tower, Kuwait City, Kuwait   Detroit Water Tower, Detroit, United States   Wieza Cisnien, Wrocław, Poland   Water tower near Bajč, Slovakia   Water tower in Petržalka, Slovakia   Water tower in Týniště, Czech Republic   Railway water tower in Protivec, part of Žlutice, Czech Republic

See also[link]

Water portal

• American Water Landmark
• Gas holder, a similar utility storage structure
• Hyperboloid structure

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Water tower

• World's Largest Catsup Bottle Website
• International Watertower Archive
• Water Storage Considerations Specifically CFR Title 21 Part 129. US Government document
• American Steel and Iron Institute list of water towers

Scotty McCreery
Scotty McCreery performing in June 2011
Background information
Birth name	Scott Cooke McCreery
Born	(1993-10-09) October 9, 1993 (age 18) Garner, North Carolina, U.S.
Genres	Country
Occupations	Singer
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, piano
Years active	2011–present
Labels	19/Interscope/Mercury Nashville[1]
Website	Official Site

Scott Cooke "Scotty" McCreery (born October 9, 1993) is an American singer from Garner, North Carolina. He won the tenth season of American Idol on May 25, 2011. His debut studio album, Clear as Day, was released in October 2011 and was certified platinum in the United States. The album includes the top 20 country songs, "I Love You This Big" and "The Trouble with Girls".

Early life[link]

McCreery was born in 1993 to Judy (née Cooke) and Michael McCreery in Garner, North Carolina.^[2][3] His mother works as a real estate agent,^[4] and his father works as a manufacturing systems analyst.^[5] His father was born in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico to a Puerto Rican mother from San Juan and an American father.^[6] His mother is the daughter of a retired school teacher from Gates County, NC. He attended Timber Drive Elementary School in Garner,^[5] and later West Lake Middle School where he sang at his graduation. He also attended Garner Magnet High School^[7] where he joined a vocal ensemble, Die Meistersingers, that performs across the United States.^[8] He started out singing tenor.

McCreery won a singing contest called "Clayton Idol" at the Clayton Harvest Festival in Clayton, North Carolina,^[9] and was one of 36 finalists in a "Rip the Hallways" contest featuring teenage vocalists in North Carolina.^[10] He has performed at various local events.^[11] He also attended Caswell Youth Retreat in the summer of 2009, and participated in the talent show there singing Long Black Train by Josh Turner.^[12]

[edit] American Idol

Overview[link]

McCreery auditioned for the tenth season of American Idol in Milwaukee. In the Hollywood group round, he joined the "Guaps" and became embroiled in the drama when fellow group member Clint Jun Gamboa expelled Jacee Badeaux from the group. He later expressed regret for not standing up for Jacee. He was one of the five male vote getters in the semi-final round to advance to the Top 13. In an interview with Ryan Seacrest, McCreery confirmed that he has Puerto Rican ancestry. "Yes, I'm Puerto Rican," said McCreery with a smile. "I have a little bit of J.Lo in me."^[13]

Performances/Results[link]

• ^Note 1 Due to the judges using their one save on Casey Abrams, the Top 11 remained intact for another week, when two contestants were eliminated.

[edit] Post-Idol

McCreery released his coronation single "I Love You This Big" immediately after winning the tenth season of American Idol. The song entered the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart at number 32, becoming the highest debut for a debut single since the chart converted to BDS data the week of January 20, 1990.^[14] The song sold 171,404 units in its first week,^[15] and was certified gold on August 25, 2011. A music video for the song, shot on Angels Point near Dodger Stadium, was released on August 9, 2011.^[16][17]

He signed with Mercury Nashville,^[18] earning a contract that gave him over $250,000 in advances for recording the first album.^[19]

Both McCreery and Lauren Alaina were invited to present at the CMT Music Awards on June 8, 2011,^[20] and they also both performed on the Grand Ole Opry on June 10.^[21][22] McCreery performed "I Love You This Big" and George Strait's song "Check Yes or No." ^[23] Their trip to Nashville was also featured later in an ABC Special CMA Music Fest: Country’s Night to Rock where McCreery performed "Your Man" with Josh Turner at the CMA Music Festival.^[24]

McCreery toured with the American Idols LIVE! Tour 2011, which began in West Valley City, Utah on July 6, 2011 and ended in Manila,Philippines on September 21, 2011.

GAC premiered a TV special, Introducing: Scotty McCreery, on October 3, 2011, the day before his debut album is expected to be released.^[25]

On October 19, 2011, McCreery sang the National Anthem in Game 1 of the World Series between the St. Louis Cardinals and Texas Rangers at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri.

On November 9, 2011, McCreery performed "Walk in the Country" and announced the CMA Radio Stations of the Year honors at the 45th Annual Country Music Association Awards ^[26]

On November 10, 2011, McCreery joined other country stars in Nashville to tape the CMA Country Christmas special that aired on ABC on December 1.^[27]

On Thanksgiving day of 2011, McCreery performed his second single The Trouble with Girls at the 85th Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City then headlined the Macy’s Great Tree Lighting at Lenox Square Mall in Atlanta in the evening.^[28]

McCreery performed his second single at the 2nd Annual American Country Awards ^[29] on December 5, 2011 and won in the New Artist category ^[29][30]

McCreery performed "The First Noel" during the first annual CMA Country Christmas.^[31]

McCreery performed on the Disney Parks Christmas Day Parade at Walt Disney World on December 25, 2011.^[32]

In 2012, he opened for Brad Paisley along with The Band Perry. The tour kicked off on January 12 with tour dates announced for the first quarter of 2012.^[33]

[edit] Clear as Day (2011)

McCreery's first album, titled Clear as Day, was released on October 4, 2011.^[34] Tracks from the album include a song from Keith Urban,^[35] and the title track "Clear as Day".^[36] A single from this album, "The Trouble With Girls" was premiered on radio on August 30, 2011,^[37][38] and released onto iTunes on September 1, 2011. An exclusive pre-order package on the album was offered in his website on August 8, 2011.^[39] He is the first artist to be featured in Deluxe Edition Of 'ZinePak available exclusively at Walmart.^[40]

The album sold 197,000 on its debut week, and Scotty McCreery made history as the first country act to debut at No. 1 on Billboard 200 with their first studio album, as well as the youngest man to open at the top of the chart with his debut release.^[41] It reached No. 1 on five separate Billboard charts - Billboard 200, Top Current Albums, Digital Albums, Internet Albums, and Top Country Albums.

McCreery's appearance on Today on November 23, 2011 coincided with the news that his debut album Clear as Day had been officially certified as gold.^[42]

Clear as Day was certified platinum with over 1 million units shipped.^[43]

With McCreery's debut album Clear as Day reaching number one on the Billboard 200, he joins Kelly Clarkson, Ruben Studdard, Clay Aiken, Carrie Underwood and Chris Daughtry (Daughtry) as the only Idol contestants to have a number one album.

McCreery recorded Tim McGraw's "Please Remember Me" and it was released on March 8, 2012. Also, it is used as the exit song on the eleventh season of American Idol.^[44]

Discography[link]

Albums[link]

Studio albums[link]

Compilation albums[link]

Extended plays[link]

Singles[link]

• ^ACurrent single.^[61]

Other songs[link]

Music videos[link]

Personal life[link]

McCreery is a professed Christian.^[65][66][67]

McCreery will soon be attending North Carolina State University in Raleigh, North Carolina.^[68]

Awards and nominations[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official Site on Scotty McCreery
• Scotty McCreery on American Idol
• Scotty McCreery on IMDb.com