Attachment 6 - Feb-Mar 2026 Inspection Report.pdf
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- Water Tower Storage Repair & Maintenance
- Solicitation number
- 1232SA26Q0514
About this file
This is an inspection report for a 100,000-gallon water storage tank operated by USDA Appalachian Fruit Research located in Kearneysville, West Virginia. The tank, originally built by Caldwell Tanks Incorporated in 1977, was inspected on February 26, 2026, by Pittsburg Tank & Tower Maintenance Division, with the last prior inspection conducted on August 25, 2021. The tank is a welded potable/fire protection water storage structure with a 30-foot diameter, 145-foot high water level, 120-foot low water level, and 25-foot head range.
The inspection identified twenty-three deficiency items and preventive maintenance recommendations requiring corrective action. Critical deficiencies include performing an emergency interior cleanout to remove 1 to 3 inches of sediment accumulation that could clog the sprinkler system (at $300 per hour for additional accumulation beyond the estimate), installing a flapper valve on the overflow pipe, and installing an OSHA-compliant 42-inch high handrail system with intermediate rail and toeboard around the tank roof circumference. Non-critical deficiencies and preventive maintenance items include fencing the area around the tank, posting required federal tampering warning and trespassing signs, clearing debris from the foundation, sealing the foundation, tightening and tack-welding anchor bolts, installing hinged covers over platform openings, installing a locking device on the painters hatch, posting confined space entry signs at applicable access points, modifying interior ladder rungs to be anti-skid, installing a mixing system to address thermal stratification concerns, installing anti-vortex protection on the suction pipe, and pressure washing interior and exterior surfaces. Testing data shows negative lead results for both exterior and interior coatings, with acceptable adhesion ratings and ultrasonic thickness measurements within acceptable ranges.
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USDA Appalachian Fruit Research 2217 Wiltshire Road
Kearneysville, West Virginia 25430 RE: USDA Appalachian Fruit Research
100,000 Gallon WSP February 26, 2026 Shawn Thomas
Facilities Operation Specialist
(304) 725-3451 Ext: 344
Job No. 326028
RE: USDA Appalachian Fruit Research 100,000 Gallon WSP
Pittsburg Tank & Tower Maintenance Co., Inc. February 26, 2026
Photo shows the tank is not secured with fencing. We recommend fencing the area around the tank. We further recommend posting a Warning, Tampering With This Facility is a Federal Offense (US code title 42, section 300i-1) sign and a No Trespassing sign. Fence installation to be done by others.
USDA Appalachian Fruit Research RE: USDA Appalachian Fruit Research 100,000 Gallon WSP Job No. 326028
Photos show the condition of the foundation. AWWA D100-21; 12.7.1 Height aboveground states, “The tops of the concrete foundations shall be a minimum of 6” above the finished grade, unless otherwise specified.” We recommend clearing any dirt, debris and other loose gravel away from the tank foundation, down to a minimum 6” below top of foundation. This should be done by a local excavating company.
Photo shows the condition of the foundation. NFPA 22-2018; 12.2.1.2 states, “… the junction of the tank bottom and the top of the concrete foundation shall be tightly sealed to prevent water from entering the base.” We recommend seal-ing the foundation with a sealant.
Photos show the tank is electrically grounded for lightning protection as required by NFPA 780-2020; 7.3.7.3(3), which appears to be in good condition.
Photo shows the condition of one (1) of the anchor bolts. AWWA D100-21;
3.8.1.1 Required anchorage states, “For ground-supported flat-bottom reser-voirs and standpipes, mechanical anchorage shall be provided when the wind or seismic loads exceed the limits for self-anchored tanks.” We recommend clean-ing the area around the anchor bolts, tightening the anchor nuts, then tack weld-ing the circumference of the nut-to-base plate connections and bolt-to-nut con-nections to eliminate loosening.
USDA Appalachian Fruit Research RE: USDA Appalachian Fruit Research 100,000 Gallon WSP Job No. 326028
Photos show the 4” overflow pipe system, which is not equipped with a flapper valve as required by AWWA D100-21; 5.3: Overflow. We recommend installing a flapper valve on the existing overflow pipe elbow.
Photo shows the condition of the 49” x 62” base cone door. The base cone door requires the following to be in compliance with OSHA 1910.146(c)(2) Con-fined spaces.
We recommend:
Post Confined Space Entry sign
USDA Appalachian Fruit Research RE: USDA Appalachian Fruit Research 100,000 Gallon WSP Job No. 326028
Base cone ladder in above photo is 16” wide in compliance with OSHA 1910.23 Ladders and AWWA D100-21; 5.4.2: Ladders. We recommend posting a Fall Protection Required sign at the base of the ladder.
Photo shows the piping insulation, which appears to be in good condition.
Photo shows the condition of the first platform. Notice the opening in the plat-form is a falling / safety hazard and is not in compliance with OSHA
1910.28. We recommend installing a hinged cover over the opening.
Stem access ladder in above photo is 16” wide in compliance with OSHA
1910.23 Ladders and AWWA D100-21; 5.4.2 Ladders. We recommend to re-install the cable-type safety device in the clips on the stem access ladder.
Photo shows the condition of the second platform. Notice the opening in the platform is a falling / safety hazard and is not in compliance with OSHA
1910.28. We recommend installing a hinged cover over the opening.
Photo shows the condition of the 20” painters hatch. We recommend installing a locking device.
Photo shows the condition of the cleanout hatch. We recommend replacing the rusting nuts on the cleanout hatch.
Access tube ladder in above photo is 16” wide in compliance with OSHA
1910.23 Ladders and AWWA D100-21; 5.4.2 Ladders, which appears to be in good condition.
USDA Appalachian Fruit Research RE: USDA Appalachian Fruit Research 100,000 Gallon WSP Job No. 326028
Photos show the tank interior dry area coating system. We recommend pres-sure washing the tank interior dry area with TSP detergent injection (minimum 3,500 psi at 3.0 gpm) then removing all loose rust and scale with wire brushes and hand scrapers in accordance with SSPC#2 (hand tool cleaning), spot prime and applying one (1) finish coat of acrylic paint.
USDA Appalachian Fruit Research RE: USDA Appalachian Fruit Research 100,000 Gallon WSP Job No. 326028
Photo shows the 30” access tube hatch / vent, which appears to be in good con-dition.
Photo shows the condition of the 30” primary roof hatch. Roof openings on this tank require the following to be in compliance with AWWA D100-21; 5.4.3 Roof openings and OSHA 1910.146(c)(2) Confined spaces.
We recommend:
Install lock on primary hatch
Primary interior access ladder in above photo is 16” wide, but is not equipped with anti-skid rungs. We recommend on the primary interior access ladder mod-ifying the existing rungs to be anti-skid.
Photo shows the condition of the 24” secondary access point / fan mount. Roof openings on this tank require the following to be in compliance with AWWA D100-21; 5.4.3 Roof openings and OSHA 1910.146(c)(2) Confined spaces.
We recommend:
Photos show the tank roof edge is not equipped with a required handrail system for fall protection. OSHA 1910.28(b)(1)(i) states, “...the employer must ensure that each employee on a walking-working surface with an unprotected side or edge that is 4 feet (1.2 m) or more above a lower level is protected from falling by one or more of the following: 1910.28(b)(1)(i)(A) Guardrail systems.” We rec-ommend installing an OSHA compliant 42” high handrail system around the cir-cumference of the tank roof, complete with intermediate rail and a toeboard.
USDA Appalachian Fruit Research RE: USDA Appalachian Fruit Research 100,000 Gallon WSP Job No. 326028
Photos show the tank exterior coating system. The overall exterior coating sys-tem appears to be in good condition. We recommend pressure washing the tank exterior with biodegradable detergent injection (minimum 3,500 psi at 3.0 gpm), then re-evaluating the tank exterior at next inspection cycle.
Photo shows the interior roof lap seams, which appear to be in good condition.
Photo shows a fill pipe on the tank interior. A temperature difference between the water in the top and bottom of a tank, even as little as 1-2 degrees Fahren-heit, is an indication of thermal stratification and the tank water not being com-pletely mixed. Incomplete mixing would result in short-circuiting, and localized increase in water age would develop inside the tank. This typically leads to wa-ter quality problems, such as loss of residual, DBP spikes, HPC spikes, bacteria regrowth, formation of bio-film, changes in pH and dissolved oxygen. We recom-mend installing a mixing system. Electrical work to be done by others if re-quired.
Photo shows a suction pipe on the interior of the tank. NFPA 22-2018;
14.2.13.1 states, “The discharge outlet for every suction tank shall be equipped with an anti-vortex plate assembly.” We recommend installing a cross style anti-vortex assembly on the suction pipe to prevent the formation of a vortex.
Photo shows sediment in the tank. Silt ingested into the sprinkler system can clog the sprinkler heads, rendering the system deficient. We recommend per-forming a dry interior cleanout to prevent damage to the sprinkler system.
This work should be performed on an emergency basis.
*Please note price for interior cleanout is based on removing 1” – 3” of sediment. Any additional accumulation discovered will be removed in the amount of $300 per hour. In the event the tank has to be drained, tank will need to be drained by the owner, prior to our arrival.
We further recommend installing a passive cathodic protection system.
Due to slope in bottom of tank, a robotic in-service cleanout cannot be performed.
USDA Appalachian Fruit Research RE: USDA Appalachian Fruit Research 100,000 Gallon WSP Job No. 326028
Photos show the tank interior wet coating system. The overall interior wet coat-ing system appears to be in good condition. We recommend pressure washing the tank interior with biodegradable detergent injection (minimum 3,500 psi at
3.0 gpm), then re-evaluating the tank interior at next inspection cycle.
2217 Wiltshire Road
Kearneysville, West Virginia 25430 February 26, 2026
Shawn Thomas Facilities Operation Specialist
(304) 725-3451 Ext: 344
WATERSPHERE INSPECTION REPORT
JOB NO: INSPECTOR: Bryer Gibson (NG)
TANK OWNER: USDA Appalachian Fruit Research
OWNER’S REPRESENTATIVE: Shawn Thomas
TITLE: Facilities Operation Specialist
MAILING ADDRESS: 2217 Wiltshire Road, Kearneysville, West Virginia 25430
PHYSICAL ADDRESS: 2217 Wiltshire Road, Kearneysville, West Virginia 25430
CITY, STATE: ZIP: Kearneysville, West Virginia 25430 COUNTY: Jefferson County
TELEPHONE: (304) 725-3451 Ext: 344 FAX: Not Provided
LOCATION OF TANK: 2217 Wiltshire Road, Kearneysville, West Virginia 25430
ORIGINAL CONTRACT NO: 0-7323 YEAR BUILT: 1977
ORIGINAL MANUFACTURER: Caldwell Tanks Incorporated CAPACITY: 100,000 Gallon
DATE OF LAST INSPECTION: August 25, 2021 TYPE: Potable/Fire Protection
TYPE CONSTRUCTION: WELDED: X RIVETED: BOLTED:
ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE: Justin Booker
326028
E-MAIL: shawn.thomas@usda.gov
DIAMETER: 30’-0”
HIGH WATER LEVEL: 145’-0”
HEAD RANGE: 25’-0”
LOW WATER LEVEL: 120’-0”
USDA Appalachian Fruit Research 100,000 Gallon WSP
Testing Exterior Interior
Lead Negative Negative
Adhesion A1 @ 12.3 A0 @ 8.9
Mil Thickness Testing
Bottom 7.6 5.8 9.9 8.2 22.7 4.8 4.7
4.1 3.6 3.5
Access
Tube
4.0 4.2 5.4 9.6 5.9 49.0 7.0
5.0 16.0 13.4
Bottom of Bowl
3.1 5.1 1.0 4.9 5.7 8.4 3.4
3.7 6.6 4.8
Top 8.2 19.5 7.3 8.4 7.5 5.8 12.3
7.9 4.3 9.4
Ultrasonic Thickness Testing
Bottom .427 .400 .393 .398 .245 .394 .390
.391 .378 .384
Access
Tube .376 .384 .391 .387 .398 .400 .416
.391 .384 .376
Bottom of Bowl .391 .395 .381 .397 .384 .371 .399
.398 .381 .376
Top .381 .385 .389 .395 .398 .376 .384
.369
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