The Norwesco 2000 Gallon Underground Water Storage Cistern Tank is a buried polyethylene tank engineered for cistern and underground water storage where above-ground space is not an option. It is a low-profile body at just 51 inches tall, so it sets in a shallow bury, but it stores a serious 2000 gallons across a wide 98 by 126 inch footprint that drives the size of your excavation. That shape suits rural water supply, hauled-water storage, and rainwater collection feeding a household or irrigation line. The shell is molded polyethylene rated to a 1.9 specific gravity, so the wall and ribbing are engineered well beyond plain water duty.
Will this tank work for your site
Sizing is the first thing to settle before you dig. Filled with water, this tank carries roughly 16,680 pounds of contents, and it is rated to hold contents up to 31,692 pounds at its 1.9 specific gravity rating. For straight water storage that gap is your assurance: water is a 1.0 specific gravity, so at about 16,680 pounds of water you are well inside the structural envelope of a shell rated for nearly twice that load. Those contents weights, not the empty tank weight, drive your excavation, bedding, and backfill plan. The 98 by 126 inch footprint is what you lay out for the hole and the sand bed underneath it. Because this is an underground tank, the surrounding compacted backfill carries much of the load once the tank is set and filled, so even bedding and proper backfill in lifts around the full perimeter are what keep the shell true. Use the Tank Sizing Calculator and the Tank Sizing Guide to confirm 2000 gallons matches your draw and refill cycle before you commit to the dig.
Septic body sold for water, and how to spec the plumbing
Be aware of one identity point: this is the same molded body Norwesco lists under its septic tank line, offered here for water and cistern storage. If your jurisdiction regulates the application, read the Norwesco IAPMO and CSA B66 approvals guide for the cross-border code scope before you order. Just as important, this tank does not ship with a defined fitting package documented in our data, so do not assume plumbed inlets, outlets, or access ports are pre-configured. The technical drawing on this page shows the molded layout and access points; read it against your inlet, outlet, and access requirements, and confirm port sizes and locations from the drawing or by phone before ordering. The buried-tank mistake that costs people is treating it like an above-ground tank: an underground polyethylene tank must be installed per the manufacturer's bury-depth, bedding, and backfill instructions, and it should never be left empty in a high-water-table or saturated-soil condition where it can float or be crushed by surrounding loads. Correcting an inlet or access location after the hole is closed is expensive. If you are aggregating rainwater or reuse water into this cistern, the industrial water reuse tank topology guide walks through staging and quality-banded storage, and for fire-protection reserves the fire-water reservoir design guide covers NFPA 22 sizing discipline.
Freight and ordering
This tank ships LTL freight from a single Norwesco plant in Washougal, WA, and freight is quoted live to your ZIP code rather than bundled into the list price. Because it ships only from that West Coast plant, buyers in the East and Midwest are looking at a long, dedicated haul on a large, lightweight body, so run your delivery ZIP through the Freight Cost Estimator early to see real LTL cost before you commit. Plan delivery and equipment around an unloaded shell ahead of the dig. For help confirming sizing, the underground install, the fittings layout, or the freight quote, call 866-418-1777 and we will work through it with you.
