Coeur d'Alene approves $4.3 million water tank for growth

A new 1-million-gallon water tank at the end of Thomas Lane is meant to give Coeur d'Alene more breathing room as the city grows, while easing pressure problems in the upper zone, especially the eastern quadrant. The $4.3 million project is also designed to strengthen fire protection and keep the city ahead of demand in neighborhoods that have stretched the water system for years.

The Coeur d'Alene City Council approved the project, which will send water storage higher on the hillside and add capacity in a part of town long identified for upgrades. The tank will stand about 100 feet tall, be painted green to blend with the surrounding foliage, and be reached by a non-permanent access route instead of a permanent road. City officials said that approach should limit slope disturbance, preserve more trees and reduce impacts on nearby homes and the public.

Water Department Director Kyle Marine told the council that storage projects cannot be turned on quickly. Planning, permitting and construction all take time, he said, which is why the city has been working years ahead of need. Long-range planning documents in 2012 and 2023 pointed to more storage in the northeast portion of town by 2025, and the transmission main serving the tank was completed in 2025.

The new tank is part of a longer buildup around Thomas Lane. In 2022, the city approved a much larger 2-million-gallon Northeast Water Storage Facility concept at the same location, with construction then estimated at $7.7 million to $9.5 million, plus about $1.3 million for engineering. The current project is cheaper because it is half the size of that earlier proposal.

The timing also reflects the pressure on Coeur d'Alene’s water system. In 2025, the Water Department said the city had about 8 million gallons of storage and pumped about 40 million gallons a day in summer. The city also has about 20,000 active accounts and pumped just over 5 billion gallons in 2023. Officials have said a new well typically costs $2.5 million to $3.5 million and can take three to five years to bring online, while drinking-water storage can run $5 to $9 per gallon, making a 1-million-gallon tank a major investment.

City officials said the project will be paid for with capitalization fees collected for growth-related water infrastructure, rather than relying on current customers alone. That matters as Coeur d'Alene, estimated at 58,179 residents in July 2025, continues to add people and development pressure in Kootenai County.

Alongside the water tank, the council also approved nearly $250,000 to replace the McEuen Park playground turf, with work expected in August and a closure of about two weeks. Taken together, the votes showed a city still spending heavily on basic systems and public spaces as it tries to keep pace with growth without letting its core infrastructure fall behind.