Is surface area of water exposed to air important

I've seen differently shaped tanks of similar sizes. In a tall skinny tank, there is less surface area of the water exposed to air as compared to a wider tank. Does this make a difference as to how long the water can be stored --- dealing with air exposed to water can grow algae faster ... or ANY other reason? OR, does the shape of a tank not affect the quality/longevity of the stored water at all?

I ask because I'm designing a backup water tower type system and I'm wondering if it makes any difference using a tank like this:



... vs a water tote (which would only be +/- 1/3 full) like this ...



**regardless of shape, the vessel will be confirmed safe for potable water storage**

The shape of the tank won’t make any difference. It will vent the same amount of air in and out for the same amount of water being drawn or put back into the tank. Anytime you have water sitting in a tank that is exposed to the atmosphere, contamination is a possibility. Keeping the tank out of sunlight is best, filtering the air vent helps, but you will still need a shot of chlorine occasionally.

Those poly tanks deteriorate in the sunlight pretty quickly, so it should be inside

The wider tank will have a smaller variation on pressure by about .43 PSI per foot. That difference would be more significant with the tank 10 ft up than with the tank 30 ft up. You did say "any".