The Norwesco 575 Gallon Underground Water Storage Cistern Tank buries your water supply below the frost line and out of sight, which is the practical move when an above-ground tank would freeze, eat up yard space, or sit in the wrong spot for the view. This is a White polyethylene cistern rated at 575 gallons, with a 48" by 97" footprint and a 42" profile, built for below-grade water storage. If you are searching for a Norwesco underground water tank, cistern, or below-grade water storage tank, this is the unit those terms point to.
Will it work for your install?
The tank carries a 1.9 specific gravity rating, which on a water tank is structural headroom rather than a chemical-service rating - it means the shell is built with margin to handle hydrostatic and backfill loading once it is buried. Filled with 575 gallons of water, the tank and contents weigh roughly 4,796 lb, while the shell is rated to carry contents up to 9,111 lb, so a water fill leaves substantial structural margin. Those numbers drive your excavation and bedding: the hole, the sand bedding, and the backfill all have to support that loaded weight without point-loading the shell. Plumbing connects through the 20" lid up top, which is your single access for the inlet, the submersible pump or draw line, the vent, and any level sensor. Note that the tank ships with the lid only - it is not pre-plumbed - so you field-add the bulkhead fittings and gaskets at the lid to suit your install. Plan every penetration around that one top opening before you set the tank, because once it is backfilled you are working through that lid. Use the Tank Sizing Calculator and the Tank Sizing Guide to confirm 575 gallons covers your draw between fills, whether that is household cistern supply, rainwater capture, or a rural water reserve.
The mistake to avoid
The most common error with an underground tank is treating the hole like a casual job. A buried poly tank is only as sound as the bedding and backfill around it, and an unsupported or rocky cavity is where shells deform under load. Excavate flat, bed it on clean sand, and backfill evenly so the tank is supported on all sides, not bridging a void. If you are pouring any structure to bear loaded weight, the concrete pad sizing framework walks the load math even though this tank sits in soil. The second mistake is closing the hole before you prove the install. Run the sequence in order: set the tank, make up the lid fittings, run a hydrostatic fill test with it in place, watch for settlement and seeps, and only then backfill over the top.
Where it fits the bigger water plan
A 575-gallon underground cistern slots into rainwater capture, household water storage, and rural reserve systems where you want capacity without an above-ground footprint. If you are aggregating grey-water, rainwater, or condensate into a quality-banded storage train, the water reuse tank topology guide shows how a buried reservoir feeds the rest. For rural fire-protection reserves, the fire-water reservoir design guide covers NFPA 22 sizing and the cold-climate freeze discipline that a buried tank already helps with.
This tank ships LTL freight from the nearest Norwesco stock point to you - Shawnee, OK, Lancaster, OH, or Owego, NY - so your origin depends on where you are. Freight is not baked into the list price; it is quoted live to your ZIP, so get a number in seconds with the Freight Cost Estimator, or call 866-418-1777 to talk through the underground install and confirm the right tank before you order. See the technical drawing on this page for the lid location and dimensional detail you will need to lay out your excavation.
