Improvements to the structure at First Avenue North and North 21st Street — painted with the face of the local school mascot, “Mo,” on the west side and black capital letters spelling the city’s name along the tank’s south face — were meant to modernize, improve safety and keep in compliance.

Money used for the project was just a portion of the amount awarded to the City of Escanaba by the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy through the American Rescue Plan Act.

Though the city has several ongoing infrastructure projects, many of which are also funded through state grants, this particular round used for the water tower project was close to $20 million and is supporting not only the water tower project but also lead service line and water main replacements.

After being awarded the sum in spring 2024, the City of Escanaba sent out a request for proposals for, in addition to line replacements, a roster of upgrades to the water tower: overflow pipe replacement, drain holes on the balcony, sample tap replacement and several other items. Four bids were received, with the job awarded to Five Star Energy Services of Big Bend, Wis., who priced the water tower portion alone at $269,000.

Silhouetted against a cloudy sky on Sept. 10, a platform on a telescopic boom lift extends towards Escanaba's south water tower, raising workers to the top. (R. R. Branstrom | Daily Press)

Water and Wastewater Superintendent Jeff Lampi said while many communities are making infrastructure improvements, Escanaba is one that has been fortunate to secure grant funding because of early action. Without it, he said, the city’s rates for consumers would surely be higher.

Much of the water tower work was performed in September; residents may have seen workers around the base of the tower as well as 100 feet in the air to access parts on and near the tank.

The water tower, manufactured by Chicago Bridge and Iron in 1945, is of welded construction. With a 500,000-gallon capacity, it is a radial arm-type structure with a hemisphere roof, and its height to the overflow point is 135 feet. It has a 60-foot diameter. The city refers to it as the south water tower, but it is nicknamed the “Eskimo” tank as well for the image of the mascot it bears.

The City of Escanaba has two water towers for safety and redundancy and to maintain pressure. The other, about 2 miles north, is painted simply and cheerfully with a smiley face. Like the “Eskimo” tank, it also holds half a million gallons and is positioned at the same height. The north tower is often called the “Wells” water tower — though technically it is just within the Escanaba side of the line, not in Wells Township. The entire system serves customers in both municipalities.

According to the city’s website, Escanaba Municipal Water Utility has 5,000 customer connections in Escanaba and 180 in Wells Township, plus maintains 700 fire hydrants.