MASSILLON – An Aqua Ohio water tower used to help supply drinking water to west side residents is in the midst of six-figure facelift.

A $600,000 effort is ongoing to upgrade the tower, which sits on property in the 1200 block of Kenyon Ave. SW, aiming to upgrade the inside and outside of the structure. It holds 1 million gallons of water.

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Work involves water draining, sandblasting, minor repairs and repainting sections of the tower, according to the company. The upgrades should take a few weeks.

“It’s important to regularly maintain and repaint our water towers to stay ahead of corrosion and get longer service out of them,” Keith Nutter, Aqua Ohio’s area manager, said in a news release. “This tower is a critical part of our system.

“Not only does it provide storage for a million gallons of treated water, but it helps regulate pressure levels in portions of our Massillon system,” he added.

Work is expected to take place between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. on Monday through Friday, concluding by early July. Plans have been made to avoid high-noise activity in early mornings, the release states.

Customers should not notice any changes in water quality while any work is ongoing.

American Suncraft Painting Co., of Medway is the contractor for the project.

Aqua Ohio water tower in Massillon

Part of the tower’s function is to regulate water pressure, according to Jeff LaRue, an Aqua spokesman.

“Towers like this reduce strain on pumps that would otherwise be required to run continuously in order to maintain pressure,” he said.

In 2024, Aqua Ohio intends to spend more than $65 million across the company’s 40 systems statewide, Nutter said. Approximately $9.1 million will be invested in the Stark County system.

Aqua serves close to 40,000 customers in Massillon and Green, as well as Jackson and Perry townships. About 16,000 Aqua customers are in Massillon.

Reach Steven at steven.grazier@indeonline.com. On X: @sgrazierINDE

This article originally appeared on The Independent: Aqua Ohio water tower in SW Massillon getting $600,000 upgrade, repair