The old north water tower in Washington was taken down in September. Photos by Sally Y. Hart

Lead paint contamination in the soil where the old north water tower stood in Washington will be abated. The Washington City Council approved an engineering task order at their recent meeting to move forward with getting rid of it. City Administrator Brent Hinson explained, in 2015, the city tested the old north water tower for lead paint and found none on the tank itself, but did find lead paint contamination in the soil below the tower – likely from past sandblasting the paint on the old tower.

The initial estimate to remove the contaminated soil was $101,350. According to a memo from Hinson, by working with DeLong to find an alternative to hauling the dirt to Des Moines, they believe the cost will be about half that. FOX Engineering will be developing project specifications, as it needs to be done before the water plant project.