The Guam Waterworks Authority is preparing to unveil its newest 2 million-gallon water tank in Barrigada. Many at the utility agency still refer to the site as Ground Zero, with spokesperson Heidi Ballendorf saying, "I'm sure many people who have been on Guam for a while will recall, actually 10 years ago this year, we did have a tank collapse in this very same area."

The bursting of the million-gallon steel water tank at the Barrigada site in 2005 resulted in an evacuation, damaging another 2 million-gallon water tank, as well as several homes. It was this incident that led GWA to perform a reassessment of its existing tanks, and move toward improving the safety of its facilities as part of a $7 million bond project.

Executive vice president of DN Tanks, Bill Hendrickson, said, "What we're observing today is the final structural operation for the second 2 million Barrigada AWWA D110 Type 1 Tank." The newest concrete tank at the Barrigada site underwent a pre-stress test today to ensure it is ready to be filled with water in the next 30-40 days.

Ballendorf added, "It is a seismic-proof tank that will withstand high winds and earthquakes, and it's the second concrete tank that we have at the location." The two new concrete tanks built by general contractor DCK Pacific will provide a total of 4 million gallons of water in what will be become GWA's central reservoir.

"These tanks service Dededo, Barrigada, and Mangilao - three of our largest villages. So when we have water issues we'll have enough reserve in these tanks to avoid any low water pressure problems," said Ballendorf. She says customers can expect the second water tank to come online as soon as this June.