NEWPORT – The Federal Emergency Management Agency has released a $3.9 million grant to pay for construction of a large water tank at Samaritan Pacific Communities Hospital, part of a water resiliency project spearheaded by the Pacific Communities Health District.
The health district received an initial FEMA grant of $950,000 in 2024 for planning, engineering and pre-construction activity, the health district said in a news release.
“For the past several months, we’ve been waiting to find out whether the remaining funds would be released to us,” said board chair Chris Carlson. “We are very grateful that it has finally happened so we can move forward with this important project.”
The district is now preparing a construction bid package and once construction begins, it should take 12 to 18 months to complete.
The project includes a 373,000-gallon, earthquake-resistant water tank to provide potable water to the hospital for at least four weeks in case the city of Newport’s water supply fails.
The tank will be built on the east side of the hospital and pipes will connect it to new and existing city water lines. When the stored water is not needed for emergencies at the hospital, it will be part of Newport’s municipal water supply.
Once the tank is built, it will be given to the city of Newport to maintain and use, through an intergovernmental agreement between the health district and the city, the health district said.
“Potable water will flow in and out of the tank through city water lines,” said Jon Conner, director of plant engineering for Samaritan Pacific Communities Hospital. “When heavy seismic activity is detected, a seismic valve on the tank outlet will automatically close, holding water in the tank for dedicated use by the hospital.”
