LEWISTON – The city has entered into negotiations with a landowner to buy a site that will eventually hold two, 3-million gallon water storage tanks serving the growing south side.

Water and Sewer Superintendent Rich Burnham said that because the talks haven’t concluded, he can’t say just where the tanks would go.

The first tank is planned to be built in fiscal 2006. The second would be put in place later, as demand warrants.

Burnham said the tanks are needed for better fire protection, but they’ll also provide a marginal increase in water pressure for homes and businesses.

The City Council has transferred $750,000 from the nearly completed Webber Avenue storage tank project to Burnham’s department. That includes $250,000 to pay for the south side land and preliminary tank engineering work.

The remaining $500,000 will pay to clean and line aging water mains, which will circulate water to the tank and to users.

The mains were laid in 1878, Burnham said, but remain solid today.

“I’d like to start to clean and line this fall,” he said.

That job calls for holes to be cut in roadways every 500 to 600 feet, he said, but no major trenching work that could affect traffic is anticipated.