Step right up! See a water tower befitting the hometown of the Ringling Brothers and Circus World Museum!

The City of Baraboo needed to rehabilitate its existing 250,000-gallon elevated single-pedestal spheroid water tank due to the deterioration of coatings from its original construction in 1971. The tank exterior had been overcoated in 2000 along with the interior wetted surface paint system, but was due for a extensive solution: the removal and replacement of all lead-containing surfaces.

MSA was hired for design, bidding, and construction-related services for the project which included the complete removal of both interior and exterior paint surfaces and a fresh start. The process required temporarily relocating the tank’s antennas, installing a tank mixer and new emergency generator, modifying the tank’s overflow discharge system, and making a number of additional structural improvements.

The new water reservoir paint scheme pays homage to the carnivalesque 1971 original, which originally needed approval by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) because it served as a warning marker for aircraft flying in and out of the local airport. Today, the tower stands as a cultural symbol of the “Circus City” as well as a vital, reliable component of Baraboo’s drinking water system.