Donohue & Associates and the Sheboygan Water Utility received a State Finalist Award in the 2009 ACEC Wisconsin Engineering Excellence competition. The award recognizes the planning, design, and construction of two new water storage reservoirs and a booster pumping station along I-43/STH23. The twin reservoirs increase the Utility’s water storage capacity by 92%.

The Utility’s existing distribution system consisted of over 200 miles of water mains, two booster stations, and four elevated storage tanks. The main tank in the system, the Taylor Hill Reservoir, is over 75 years old and needed to be taken offline for maintenance. In preparation for this work, the Utility decided to construct new water storage facilities. The increased capacity also allows for summer water production during off-peak hours to minimize electricity costs and day-time production in the winter to reduce vulnerability to nighttime lake intake icing problems.

Donohue designed two twin reservoirs, as opposed to one large reservoir, because the project site was very narrow and could not accommodate one large facility. Two reservoirs also allow maintenance and inspection to be performed on one while the other remains in service. In addition to tight space constraints, the reservoirs are located near a multi-use path, residences, and two highways that serve as main entranceways to the City. Such neighbors required the architecture of the facility to be attractive and appealing.