FORT DRUM — Black Horse Construction, Watertown, is doing something very rare on Fort Drum this week.

It is lifting a million-gallon water tank 24 feet in the air using a powerful hydraulic system instead of using a traditional crane. Moving the tank will increase the amount of water pressure available for the expanding population on post and is just one part of an $11.7 million infrastructure project.

The tank was lifted the first 25 feet Aug. 18, and is slated to be raised another 24 feet Wednesday to reach its final height of 49 feet.

It can be lifted only 7 feet at a time while engineers secure the steel posts in place. The tank, which weighs 610,000 pounds, has been drained of all the water. It is on 45th Infantry Drive on post.

According to the construction company, moving a water tank in this manner is done only about once a year and is saving Fort Drum almost $2 million — the difference in cost of a new tank.