# What is this structure?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-structure/510402>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [September 17, 2009, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-structure/510402 "2009-09-17T03:35:49Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![The\_Hamster\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8edcca/32.png) [@The\_Hamster\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hamster_King)\
**Post date:** [September 17, 2009, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-structure/510402/1 "2009-09-17T03:35:49Z")

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What is [this structure](http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=los+angeles&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=41.496446,107.138672&ie=UTF8&ll=34.044023,-118.465378&spn=0.002658,0.006539&t=h&z=18) off Wilshire in west L.A.?

I took a different route to my son’s school and drove past it and my curiosity was piqued. From above it looks like the top of a big oil tank, but from street level it’s flush with the ground. (Although it’s surrounded by a berm, so the top is about 10 feet higher than the street.) My first guess is some sort of water tank, but I thought water tanks were usually elevated to provide a pressure differential. Any ideas?

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**Author:** ![Donovan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ea666f/32.png) [@Donovan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Donovan)\
**Post date:** [September 17, 2009, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-structure/510402/2 "2009-09-17T03:57:50Z")

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wild ass guess - a water treatment plant

ETA - yep, apparently, thats what it is -  
[http://maps.google.com/maps?sourceid=navclient-ff&rlz=1B3GGGL\_en\_\_\_US231&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=water+treatment+plant+los+angeles&fb=1&split=1&gl=us&ei=P7OxSuzHEMWMtgfU9ZGdCA&sa=X&oi=local\_group&ct=image&resnum=1](http://maps.google.com/maps?sourceid=navclient-ff&rlz=1B3GGGL_en___US231&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=water+treatment+plant+los+angeles&fb=1&split=1&gl=us&ei=P7OxSuzHEMWMtgfU9ZGdCA&sa=X&oi=local_group&ct=image&resnum=1)

click on ‘C’

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![The\_Hamster\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8edcca/32.png) [@The\_Hamster\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hamster_King)\
**Post date:** [September 17, 2009, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-structure/510402/3 "2009-09-17T04:01:22Z")

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Cool! Thanks!

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**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\
**Post date:** [September 17, 2009, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-structure/510402/4 "2009-09-17T05:32:46Z")

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FYI, you can right-click on any place on Google Maps and choose “What’s here?” (or an alt-right click in Firefox). Try it on the water tower and Google tells you right away it’s [Santa Monica Water Treatment](http://maps.google.com/maps?q=34.043922,-118.465625&num=1&t=h&sll=34.044023,-118.465378&sspn=0.002658,0.006539&hl=en&ie=UTF8&ll=34.043854,-118.465506&spn=0.00144,0.003449&z=18).

(Of course, that only works with businesses and such in their database. Not sure if Atlantis counts.)