A city contractor is more than a month into construction of a 1.5 million gallon water tower west of Sixth Street and Queens Road.

Work on the approximately $2.5 million elevated water storage tank, at Sixth and Stoneridge Drive, began April 28. The foundation was finished May 13, and the first lift of the tank’s pedestal is expected to be poured June 9, Lawrence city administrators said.

The new tank, scheduled to be completed July 13, 2009, will increase the reliability of water supply in the area, ensure there’s enough water for future growth and to provide water storage for fire suppression.

The contractor, LandMark Structures, of Fort Worth, Texas, is working a 10 days on/four days off schedule, the city said. Crews are coordinating weekend and evening construction hours with St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church, 5700 W. Sixth St., which sits immediately west of the tower.