HURON — Huron is getting a major upgrade to its water infrastructure. A new 2-million-gallon water tower was lifted into place Friday, and the city expects it to be operational by fall of 2027.
The $8.5 million tower comes after years of concern over whether the city had enough water to handle main breaks, fires and growing demand.
"We've been waiting for this day for a long time," Jack Evans, Huron Water Department superintendent said.
Last summer, water concerns in Huron came to a head when city officials said they did not have enough water to support main breaks and fires. The city also supplies water to Erie County, and demand had been climbing.
"There was a large increase in demand within the city, a lot of industrial growth and a lot of wholesale growth in Erie County.
So, at that time the plant found the need to start running 24/7, and we quickly realized that we need a lot more water storage on this side of town," Evans said.
Wanting to get ahead of the problem, Huron applied for a grant in 2022 and was quickly approved.
Service manager Jackson Schaefer said the new tower is unlike anything the area has seen before.
"The tower is — some would say possibly oversized, or it's larger than what anyone has had in the area in the past," Schaefer said.
Huron Fire Chief Kevin McGraw said the new tower provides a sense of relief for the entire community.
"Citizens are gonna have the supply they need for their homes. We're gonna need it on the fire department front for when we have to use it at fires, and it also allows the people that work in the plants and that service the hydrants or the water lines here ... [to] have quality to take care of, and they're not constantly dealing with issues," McGraw said.
McGraw had previously warned that water supply is a critical factor in firefighting outcomes.
"Success and failure on the fireground can really be determined by water supply," McGraw said.
The urgency of the project was underscored last winter, when Erie County experienced one of the worst lake freezes on record. The freeze forced the water treatment plant to shut down, and Erie County had to limit water use.
"Had we had more water storage in the air, we would have been able to buy ourselves a lot more time to remedy that situation," Evans said.
Community member Richard Naegele said he is glad the city acted.
"It's good to know that they are taking care of the community," Naegele said.
With the tower now in place, officials say Huron is better positioned for both growth and emergencies.
"We're prepared for emergencies, unexpected events, and we're also here for further growth as well," Evans said.
Crews still have months of work ahead before the tower becomes operational in fall of 2027.
