Structural design of water tank
Structural design of water tank
(OP)
Hello Guyz,
I have designed (structural) an underground water tank, but am not sure if about the results. Are there any links on the internet that design underground water tanks?
I have designed (structural) an underground water tank, but am not sure if about the results. Are there any links on the internet that design underground water tanks?





RE: Structural design of water tank
RE: Structural design of water tank
RE: Structural design of water tank
RE: Structural design of water tank
"If the bottom of a storage reservoir must be below normal ground surface, it shall be placed above the grouundwater table. At least 50 percent of the water depth should be above grade. ..."
"The top of a partially buried storage structure shall not be less than two feet above normal ground surface. ..."
RE: Structural design of water tank
RE: Structural design of water tank
RE: Structural design of water tank
For buried concrete tanks, the Portland Cement Association, and others, offer a great deal of information on structural design.
Google their websites.
good luck
RE: Structural design of water tank
Specific requirements for finished water storage units are as follows:
a. The bottom of ground storage units shall be placed at the normal ground surface and shall be either above the 100 year flood level or protected from the 100 year flood.....
b. When the bottom of a storage unit must be below normal ground surface, it shall be place above the high ground water table......
http://w
After completion of the review, and approval of the plans, the department will issue an ATC Certificate. Projects are reviewed for conformance to state rules and regulations (A.A.C. Title 18, Chapter 4 and Engineering Bulletin No. 10) and sound engineering practice
Sound engineering practice is to not bury a potable water tank, for somewhat obvious reasons.
RE: Structural design of water tank
In Florida, they have referenced the "10 states" as the governing standard, so we would be down to 39. I suspect other states have also adopted the "10 states" standards.
RE: Structural design of water tank
RE: Structural design of water tank
RE: Structural design of water tank
RE: Structural design of water tank
Since, water storage tanks are not pressurized, any cracks in the tank walls would allow potentially contaminated water to enter into into a buried tank.
RE: Structural design of water tank
RE: Structural design of water tank
a. The bottom of ground storage units shall be placed at the normal ground surface and shall be either above the 100 year flood level or protected from the 100 year flood.....
b. When the bottom of a storage unit must be below normal ground surface, it shall be place above the high ground water table......
http://w
RE: Structural design of water tank
RE: Structural design of water tank
RE: Structural design of water tank
In sewers, you get something called I/I. The same thing will occur in a buried tank and will result in contamination of the potable water.
RE: Structural design of water tank
RE: Structural design of water tank
However, this is not a perfect world.
Nobody makes large (greater than 30 ft dia.) buried tanks out of steel or lined plastic. Steel tanks are more commonly designed for atmospheric pressure. Plastic linings are desiged to protect the tank walls from corrosion, not to prevent leaks. This is something that an experienced civil structural would call common practice.
Large buried concrete tanks will settle and crack over a period of several decades allowing minor leakage and contamination into the tank, not out of it.
Unlike a pressurized tank, where the flow is outward, a large empty buried tank will be subject to the same phenomena known as I/I.
You are the second person on this thread to post that the Ten States Standard is a sewer standard. Not sure where you are getting your information:
Article 7.0.2(c) and (d) of the Ten States Standards is not a sewer standard.
http://10statesstandards.com/waterstandards.html
RE: Structural design of water tank
They come in all shapes and sizes from a few hundred gallons to millions of gallons. All are leak tested periodically. Some have their roofs exposed and are used for recreation areas such as tennis courts, urban parks, etc.
I have never heard of a case of contamination by groundwater leaking into the tank. If such cases exist they appear to be very rare.
Among the advantages if burying a tank include:
stable temperature in hot climates
no need to repaint or recoat the tank exterior
ease of monitoring leakage into or out of the tank
aesthetics
long life ( some such tanks have been in service without problems for over 100 years)
Burying half the tank appears to be arbitrary and accomplishes what ?
At one time in history, the Ten State Standards were strictly wastewater standards but, it appears, they have grown in scope over the last 40 years since last I looked at them. In Oregon, where I live and work, and in California and Washington the Ten State standards do NOT apply.
None of this answers the original posters question which was about the structural design of such tanks so I apologize to him or her for digressing.
RE: Structural design of water tank
If the original poster is not sure of how to design a concrete tank, reminders of what codes and standards to follow should be considered friendly advice, not an opportunity to debate others.
For example, if he was designing a concrete oil/water separator, you might refer him to the API. If water, then to the AWWA. If wastewater, then to etc.
The title of the post is actually "water tank". So referring someone to the Ten States Standards for Water is not out of line. While it is true that there are some jurisdictions that do not reference the Ten States Standards, many of details of the Ten States Standards have been copied into the standards of these other jurisdictions anyway.
Re: "ease of monitoring leakage into or out of the tank" How do you accomplish this? One would think that this is more easily done with an above ground tank.
Lastly, it is probably not good advice to recommend that someone pick and choose what standards to follow just because a person doesn't understand the reason for the standard.
RE: Structural design of water tank