Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers

Read the passage and select ALL correct options. Wrong selections lose points.

Water towers, elevated tanks common in small towns and suburbs, use gravity rather than constant pumping to maintain consistent water pressure across a distribution network. Pumps fill the tank during off-peak hours, typically overnight, when electricity demand and cost are lower, and the stored water is then released steadily throughout the day as gravity pushes it through pipes. This design also provides a buffer during power outages, since gravity-fed water can continue flowing for hours even if pumps stop working. Because the tank must sit well above the highest building it serves, elevation rather than tank size is often the main engineering constraint, particularly in flat regions where towers must be built unusually tall to generate adequate pressure.