CANTON – Canton plans to demolish its largest drinking water storage reservoir that has served customers for roughly 100 years.
The Cromer Reservoir, which sits underground in the 3200 block of Cromer Avenue NW, just west of the Giant Eagle plaza, will be replaced with a smaller storage tank.
The demolition is expected to begin this fall and the roughly $14 million project is expected to be completed by December 2026.
Canton water officials say the new reservoir will improve water quality for the city’s roughly 41,000 water accounts and help to better regulate the water pressure throughout Canton’s distribution system, which also serves residents living outside of Canton’s city’s limits such as in Perry, Plain and Canton townships and the villages of East Canton, Beach City and Hartville.
Here’s what you need to know about the Cromer Reservoir demolition and replacement project:
What is the Cromer Reservoir?
The Cromer Reservoir is a buried, concrete water storage tank that was constructed around 1920 to accommodate the city’s then-growing population and industrial base.
It is 362 feet long and 290 feet wide – essentially two football fields in size – with a flat concrete roof slab that is supported by hundreds of concrete pillars and covered by roughly 18 inches of topsoil.
The reservoir, which ranges in depth from 13 feet to 22 feet, stores 15 million gallons of drinking water and helps to regulate the pressure in Canton’s public water system for water distribution and firefighting activities.
Most of its treated water comes from the Northeast Water Treatment Plant, which is sourced from groundwater.
The Ohio State Historic Preservation Office has deemed the Cromer Reservoir as eligible for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places due to its age, size and unique way it was built. It is working with the Canton Water Department to develop a memorandum of understanding to ensure the reservoir’s historical integrity is documented and preserved as part of the replacement project.
Why does Cromer Reservoir need to be replaced?
Canton Water Assistant Superintendent Brent Burrier said the reservoir has received minimal maintenance since its construction in the 1920s.
It has been taken offline only once. In 1980, the reservoir was drained to repair concrete cracks, remove sediment and replace valves.
In 2019, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency issued a notice of violation after a 2018 inspection identified multiple deficiencies inside the Cromer Reservoir that the agency said could allow microbial or other contaminants into the city’s water distribution system or could affect the reliable delivery of safe drinking water for Canton customers.
Among the deficiencies cited: Settling cracks in the roof and walls, spalling, salt deposits, sections of exposed steel reinforcement on the roof, staining of the reservoir walls that could indicate surface water infiltration, corrosion on the inlet and outlet, large amounts of debris including biological and inorganic materials in the tank, and damaged and outdated concrete collars surrounding the tank vents.
Burrier said steel and other nonconcrete components of the reservoir will be removed as part of the demolition process. The remaining concrete rubble will be left underground and used to help fill in the cavity.
Will the demolition disrupt Canton’s water system?
The Cromer Reservoir holds more than half of the city’s 29.3 million gallons of treated drinking water storage. The city’s two other storage locations — the 53rd Street Reservoir and Brentwood Water Tower — hold roughly 11 million gallons of water combined. The city’s water treatment plants store roughly 3 million gallons of water.
Burrier said water customers should not notice much of a difference in their water pressure when the Cromer Reservoir is taken offline because the department installed a variable frequency drive at the Northeast Water Treatment Plant in January. The drive allows workers to run a high-service pump at different speeds and adjust the flow rates to keep a constant water pressure in the distribution system.
Burrier said the variable frequency drive is only a short-term fix because the electronic piece of equipment can fail over time. He said the new reservoir is needed to hold a constant pressure within the distribution system and to give the city additional water storage.
What will replace Cromer Reservoir?
Canton plans to construct a 7-million-gallon concrete tank with a dome top to replace the Cromer Reservoir. The circular reservoir will be 220 feet in diameter and the top half of the tank will be above ground.
Burrier said the new tank is being installed in the northeast corner of the property in case a second tank would be needed in the future or the land is needed for other purposes.
The new tank will include an active mixing system to help with improving water quality and a cast-in-place valve vault for control valves and reservoir isolation.
The life expectancy of the new reservoir is 80 to 100 years.
Why is the new reservoir so much smaller?
Canton Water Superintendent Tyler Converse said Canton no longer needs to store so much water due to the city’s declining population and the use of more efficient fixtures.
Ohio EPA’s review of the project found the Cromer Reservoir had a reported average use capacity of 5.8 million gallons. The agency said storing more water than needed can cause chronic water quality issues.
Converse said the city continues to seek new water customers, especially in the northern part of its system that extends to Hartville. The department is studying improvements and potential future needs of its northwest booster pump station and the Brentwood Water Tower, which is near Market Avenue N and Schneider Street NW in Plain Township.
How is Canton paying for the project?
Canton will borrow from the Ohio Water Supply Revolving Loan Account, which provides lower interest rates than current market rates, to cover the cost of the project. The 25-year loan will be paid through monthly user charges.
The city was in line to receive a $1.1 million federal earmark, but the earmarks were removed from the final congressional spending bill.
Reach Canton Repository staff writer Kelli Weir at 330-580-8339 or kelli.weir@cantonrep.com.
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Canton demolishing 100-year-old Cromer Reservoir to improve water quality
Reporting by Kelli Weir, Canton Repository / The Repository
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