Ephrata water tower 20% full
NANCE BESTON | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 4 weeks, 1 day AGO
The City of Ephrata has begun filling its new water tower. The tower, if testing comes back clean, will be operational by Thanksgiving.
COURTESY PHOTO/CITY OF EPHRATA
EPHRATA – On Tuesday, the City of Ephrata began filling its new water tower after completing disinfection and pressure testing. As of Wednesday, the tower is 20% full, with mandated testing beginning. The tower, if results come back clean, will be filled the rest of the way and operational by Thanksgiving, according to Public Works Director Rob Harris.
“We not only have to do bacterial testing, but we also have to do more advanced testing,” Harris said. “The bacterial tests will come back in around 36 hours, but the other test will take more time.”
New water reservoirs, according to the Washington Department of Health, must be tested for bacteria, coliform, chlorine, pH, disinfection byproducts and volatile organic chemicals.
Harris said the testing samples will be pulled Thursday. Then the contractor, T Bailey, will begin removing scaffolding.
“We will deliver the samples and then hurry up and wait,” Harris said.
If the results come back negative, the city will fill the remainder of the tower and complete one more round of tests. If those also come back negative, the water tower will be connected to the city's water system.
“We are hoping to have it up and running by Thanksgiving,” Harris said. “I think people will appreciate it. I mean, you might even be able to run your sprinklers and take a shower at the same time.”
The water tower will hold around 3.8 million gallons of water and help with water pressure issues throughout the city.
The water tower, in the spring, will be adorned with the two Ephrata school district “E’s.” The contractor, according to Harris, said that due to the weather, it would not be in the city's best interest to try to paint them now.
“The E’s are the final step; it will be up and running before that,” Harris said.
ARTICLES BY NANCE BESTON
Mayor Peter Sharp takes oath of office
SOAP LAKE – Grant County Commissioner Kevin Burgess adminstered the oath of office to Mayor Peter Sharp Wednesday. Sharp was previously appointed to this role at the Sept. 18, 2024, council meeting after his predecessor Allen DuPay quit during the Aug. 7, 2024, meeting.
Newhouse, colleagues introduce infrastructure bill
WASHINGTON D.C. — On November 21, 2025, a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers introduced the Urban Canal Modernization Act, HR 6279, aimed at addressing the deteriorating condition of urban canal infrastructure across the country. This legislation, sponsored by Representatives Dan Newhouse, R-WA; Mike Simpson, R-ID; Adam Gray, D-CA; and Russ Fulcher, R-ID focuses on providing federal support for the extraordinary operation and maintenance of urban canals deemed to be at significant risk of failure. “As communities in Grant County and elsewhere face serious risks from aging canal systems, it is imperative that we act now to ensure vital water infrastructure is maintained and upgraded,” Newhouse wrote in a statement. “The Bureau of Reclamation’s canals are in dire need of repairs, and the surrounding communities who rely on them would be at risk if they were to fail. This legislation provides local authorities with additional resources to manage these critical pieces of infrastructure while protecting the people and property around canals of concern.”
Ephrata water tower waiting for final tests
EPHRATA — The City of Ephrata is still waiting for the final testing to come back to the water tower. The city had originally hoped the tower would be connected to the water system by Thanksgiving; however, the intensive water testing is taking longer than anticipated.