As you drive up the hill out of Kiowa, a town east of us this rises out of the hillside. I guessed it was a water tower, but I found it funny how often we seemingly know things but never actually question what we think we know. With a little research (a la Kevin Sargent) it transpired that water towers are actually very simple devices, essentially large elevated tanks of water and are tall to provide pressure. Each foot of height provides 0.43 PSI of pressure with a typical municipal water supply running at between 50 and 100 PSI. The water tower must be tall enough to supply that level of pressure to all of the houses and businesses in the area of the tower. Water towers are typically located on high ground, and they are tall enough to provide the necessary pressure. Water towers will hold up to 50 swimming pools (!!) worth of water and are normally spec'd to ensure a days supply of water to the area in the event of a pump failure.
Now you know...................................

You'd never guess I've got a thing for roads and tracks leading into shots would you!!!