Reported By Aci Committee 371 Aci 371r 16 Concrete File

For any civil engineer, contractor, or inspector tasked with a water-containment project, is indispensable—not as a collection of rigid rules, but as a performance-based roadmap to building concrete that can be trusted with our most precious resource.

For construction crews, the report translates into actionable rules: no re-entrant corners where cracks can initiate; proper curing to prevent plastic shrinkage; staged post-tensioning to avoid overstressing young concrete. For owners and municipalities, following ACI 371R-16 reduces long-term maintenance costs—a properly designed and built tank can last 50–75 years with minimal leakage. Concrete is strong in compression but weak in tension. Water always finds the path of least resistance. The meeting of these two truths is where ACI 371R-16 proves its value. Reported by ACI Committee 371, this 2016 guide is not just a technical document; it is a distilled wisdom of what works in the demanding realm of liquid storage. It protects communities from water loss, prevents groundwater contamination, and ensures that the iconic water towers dotting our landscapes remain symbols of reliability rather than risks of collapse.