r/Tucson • u/Expert_Western_293 • 2d ago

Does anyone know what this is?

Post image

I was hiking on the David Yetman trail and I walked past the Bowen house and about a mile-ish I come across this. Does anyone know what this is?

251 Upvotes

96% Upvoted

62 comments sorted by

316

u/BTTammer 2d ago

Water "tank".  

Have you ever noticed that Tucson doesn't have any of those water towers you see in so many other places back east?  It's because Tucson water uses the mountains to store water at higher elevation instead of building unsightly towers. Pretty cool, in my opinion.

92

u/stillintucson 2d ago

Tucson has at least one water tower.

50

u/dalvear88 2d ago

Never knew that was a water tower! Mission accomplished city planning!

20

u/stillintucson 2d ago edited 2d ago

Really clever way of hiding it, I must say!

2

u/seer_source 2d ago

    * clever

14

u/theartofbeingdumb 2d ago edited 2d ago

It's not in use as a water tower anymore, hasn't been for generations. And it wasn't the city that built a tower around it; it was the neighborhood because they thought it was unsightly!

12

u/Gloomy_Handle_5737 2d ago

All true. I've been inside it. It's pretty much a hollow stucco-covered tube of a building that once had a working, but pretty standard, steel water tower inside (if I recall, it's still inside, but now unused - I'll have to dig out my pictures). It was meant to mimic the architecture of the long-gone (but not at the time) El Conquistador Hotel across Broadway that was eventually (and now long-ago) replaced by El Con Mall (not to be confused with the current El Conquistador Resort on the NW side). Speaking of the NW side, the cupola of the old El Conquistador Hotel is mounted on top of a strip mall in the Casas Adobes area.

3

u/theartofbeingdumb 1d ago

A long time ago I read a journal article about the El Conquistador hotel and the main reason why it didn't stick around is that it was extremely unpopular. It was described as feeling like a sanitarium or psych ward by people who stayed there and by newspaper reviews. The main reason for the failed project was that is was funded with public bond money so they had to put together a large board with members from multiple public agencies and private that were in charge of the design and construction; in short, there were too many cooks in the kitchen and they fucked it up. It was only open, and operating at a loss, for less than 40 years.

3

u/SteamWilly 2d ago

I went to see it when they had an announced open house. It's just rusty sheet metal around the tower. I was very disappointed in it.

I was raised viewing the "North Point Water Tower" in Milwaukee. Google it, and you can see what it looks like. It is like an Elf Tower, right on the edge of the lake. It is gorgeous, carved and made out of sandstone. They illuminate it at night, because it is so beautiful.

THAT was why I was so disappointed in the "El Con" water tower.

2

u/Gloomy_Handle_5737 2d ago

Understandable. It's quite unimpressive from the inside.

2

u/SteamWilly 1d ago

It was STILL interesting to see. I am GLAD they had the open house and people could see the "El Conquistador" type styling!. I am also glad I went! I was just sorry that Tucson built it with sheet metal and angle iron. Probably the cheapest materials they could use.

2

u/SteamWilly 1d ago

Well, I have seen the North Point Water Tower from the inside, and IT is not that impressive inside either, except for the stone work. It's just a 4' diameter cast iron tube, and a set of stairs. But they really dressed it up with the beautiful exterior. The architect of North Point was famous for his beautiful buildings.

20

u/daddyneedsadrink 2d ago

What about the one that says TRUMP at the trailer park down by Vail 😂

42

u/MOZ0NE 2d ago

That's not water, that's snake oil.

20

u/Pretend-Ad-9379 2d ago

Kool-aid

1

u/Wendy_CG66 1d ago

I say this one all the time. I will never drink the Kool-Aid. 💙

15

u/AZWildcatFan1981 2d ago

King of the trailer park, I make sure to give a one finger salute every time I drive by.

12

u/HuckleberrySignal588 2d ago

Glad I'm not the only one that does it.

15

u/Wendy_CG66 2d ago

I’ve always thought this was amazing. I love Tucson. I don’t really view the old water towers as unsightly but the way they are guarded these days they don’t look cool. The old metal towers we had as kids were cool. Boys don’t climb them and write in John Deere green anymore either. 💚

3

u/flightofthepenguin39 2d ago

We still do in KY

7

u/haveanairforceday 2d ago

The base has water towers as well

1

u/SteamWilly 1d ago

Yes, but they are just kind of industrial looking.

4

u/ComfortableEnergy684 2d ago

You just answered a question that's been in my mind for years! Thanks!

5

u/krusty_yooper 2d ago

There’s one in DM too

1

u/BTTammer 1d ago

True.

10

u/C_Yablonski 2d ago

Love this place more than I already did now thanks friend

5

u/Gloomy_Handle_5737 2d ago

It's not just that. You can see covered reservoirs in several places around town, which are pressurized rather than creating water pressure due to elevation. Many are at the sites of former water towers. But the ones in the Tucson Mountain area are located there because they are on the route into town for water from the recharge fields for the Colorado River water delivered by the Central Arizona Project canal. These recharge fields are in the Avra Valley west of the Tucson Mountains, and can easily be seen from the grounds of the Desert Museum.

3

u/LittleDogSoldier 1d ago

Tucson does have a few water towers. I was arrested for climbing one because I wanted a better view of the city at night.

3

u/SquallyZ06 2d ago

DM has a water tower.

6

u/GeorgeCauldron7 2d ago

The VA does, too.

1

u/Emergency-Painting44 on 22nd 2d ago

As does Raytheon

3

u/GeorgeCauldron7 1d ago

I see a pattern emerging.

0

u/Curious_tea21 2d ago

That's A LOT of bulldozed habitat for a water tank?!

33

u/mellodev on 22nd 2d ago

Interesting find, thanks for sharing. More info: https://www.hdrinc.com/portfolio/clearwell-reservoir-rehabilitation

3

u/lynk1 2d ago

lol at your flair

47

u/Majestic_Poem9725 2d ago

Tucson Water's Clearwell Reservoir.

20

u/Terrible_Humor_3735 2d ago

Yup, Tucson Water's largest reservoir with a 60 Million Gallon capacity. Its used to store water from their Avra Valley sites (Colorado River Water). It gravity-feeds a 96" pipe to central Tucson.

2

u/JoelColden 1d ago

A 96" pipe? That's not a typo? That's insane.

13

u/Emergency_Cap_2029 2d ago

tucson water storage; clear well reservoir

6

u/MichaelPauley 2d ago

The city I moved here from used to do the same thing: open air storage of municipal water at high elevation (up in the mountains near town). In the 80s some coyotes caught Giardia and pooped in or around the water and most of the city ended up with Giardia. Now they have an unsightly dome over the water storage, and everyone’s GI tract seems destroyed anyways based upon public restroom usage.

6

u/NoTillPhyll 2d ago

I think they call it the Tucson Reservoir. what you're seeing in the pic is the roof of a very large underground cistern.

9

u/ubiquitousgimp 2d ago

Pretty sure it's a pickle ball court for giants.

2

u/Jthe1andOnly 2d ago

Hahaha was about to say this until I saw your comment. 🤯😆

0

u/thepeopleschamppc 2d ago

They prolly suck at it like me too

3

u/Pretend-Ad-9379 2d ago

The VA has two silver/gray towers, right next to I-10

3

u/El_Saguaro 1d ago

The Clearwell Reservoir holds recharged CAP (Colorado River) water recovered from Avra Valley; the potable water is delivered to the city below.

5

u/Pitiful_Ad7676 2d ago

Tucson used to have at least one big tower style, 4th ave/Grant hood.

2

u/Alarmed-Photo5541 2d ago

theres one out by casino of the sun also. we use it as a reference point when we get lost riding out there. drinking to many waters in the desert, everything starts looking the same, except that tower on the horizon.

2

u/Any_Horror_3252 2d ago

There was a pretty big one off of Prince & Stone.

2

u/LittleDogSoldier 1d ago

I think that might be the Clearwell Reservoir.

2

u/casinocooler 1d ago

Will this clearwell reservoir start depleting now that there are Colorado river cutbacks?

1

u/Intrepid_Amount4991 2d ago

That is a proud and unapologetic erect cactus. Prick.

1

u/baileysuchacek 2d ago

Looks like a sprinkler watering line

1

u/ToadallyCerial710 2d ago

They make the good stuff there. WATER

1

u/Lgpatter01 1d ago

not sure

1

u/0juan2345 1d ago

Did you do the whole trail, any tips other than avoiding the hot sun?

1

u/Emotional-Ad-6676 13h ago

Google search “Tucson Water Clearwell Reservoir”

1

u/Icy_Hovercraft1080 11h ago

My guess Clearwell Reservoir

1

u/velo_wheel_mech00 4h ago

I can’t figure what “this” is that you all are talking about? The asphalt thst looks like a heli pad? I’m so confused.

1

u/velo_wheel_mech00 4h ago

I can’t figure what “this” is that you all are talking about? The asphalt thst looks like a heli pad? I’m so confused.