MURFREESBORO – Preparations for maintenance on the water tank located on Beer Garden Road began Wednesday with the slow emptying of water from the tank.

In Tuesday’s Murfreesboro Town Council meeting, Public Works Director Gene Byrd stated that the department would be shutting off flow of water from the tank uptown in order to &uot;utilize as much of the water as possible&uot; in the Beer Garden Road tank.

According to Byrd, after the water has been completely emptied from the tank, the department will sandblast the interior to remove accumulation of residue that occurs over time. The tank will then be treated with epoxy/primer before undergoing the final step of paint.

&uot;We shouldn’t experience any problems with the process since the tank is relatively new,&uot; said Byrd,

&uot;Generally tank maintenance like this is performed every 10-12 years or so.&uot;

Byrd estimated approximately one and a half days for area residents to consume water and stated that the tower would be out of service for 30 days while crews work on the task.

&uot;Residents who live on the southern edge of town can expect to experience low water pressure for the duration of the maintenance, but crews will be working during the week as well as Saturday and Sunday to ensure timely restoration of ‘normal’ water pressure,&uot; said Byrd. &uot;It is possible that the work on the tank may be completed sooner, but we offer the 30 day time frame to allow for any possible obstacles that may be encountered in the process.&uot;

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the project should be completed as scheduled and residents can expect water pressure to return to normal on or about mid-November.