WESTMINSTER

The City Council voted Monday to put a deposit of $73,790 on a surplus water tank at a U.S. Navy facility in Taft, Calif., and to ask city staff to negotiate a lower deposit for a second tank.

The city needs to obtain at least 10 million gallons worth of storage, to replace both the 5-million-gallon tank on Hefley Street that ruptured last September and a second, identical tank that had a similar design flaw.

Brown-Minneapolis Tank of Houston owns four petroleum tanks at the Navy facility that can be used for water storage.

The city is still weighing its options for water storage, so the 10% deposit will allow it to reserve the 5-million-gallon tank for 180 days. If the city chooses not to buy, only $30,000 will be refunded.