COEUR d’ALENE — The Coeur d’Alene City Council gave the green light for a water tank project that could cost the city more than $10 million.

The 2 million-gallon tank is proposed to be built at the end of Thomas Lane.

Kyle Marine, water department assistant director, said the city needs additional water storage on the northeast side.

“As the city continues to grow, it continues to utilize existing infrastructure out on the prairie. That’s where all of our wells are at,” he told the council in a Tuesday presentation.

The first phase of the project will be the design, bid and construction of the tank site, Marine said.

The second phase will be the design, bid and construction of the 7,500 feet of transmission main down Thomas Lane to 15th Street.

The estimated construction cost is between $7.7 million to $9.5 million. Engineering would run another $1.3 million.

There is a sense of urgency to build it.

According to a city report, “Staff believes an accelerated schedule is needed to prevent impending water pressure and quantity issues.”

"The addition of the new tank is intended to eliminate pressure reduction during peak demands as well as augment suitable fire flows for the northeast quadrant of the city," the report said.

Coeur d’Alene has 11 wells, all of which operate in the summer and can produce up to 50 million gallons a day. In the winter, only two and sometimes three are used.

The city pumps an average 4.2 billion gallons of water from the Rathdrum-Prairie Aquifer each year.

The city paid $1.5 million for its newest well that is now online near Huetter and Prairie roads. It can produce 4,000 gallons of water a minute.

But the Thomas Lane water tank is years out.

Design and bid services are expected to be done by 2024.

The City Council, by a 6-0 vote, approved an amendment to the agreement with J-U-B for the first two phases of the new Northeast Water Storage Facility and Infrastructure Improvements, with costs not to exceed $1.32 million.