WFHB Bloomington Community Radio
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Trace levels of lead have been discovered in the soil at the site of a former water tank owned by the City of Bloomington Utilities. According to a press release from the city of Bloomington, these levels were higher than what is allowed by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management. The tank was in use from 1954 – 2015 before it was dismantled and taken out of the area.
The high traces of lead were found when employees were conducting routine soil samplings of the site to see if it could possibly be reused in the near future. According to the press release, city officials believe the contamination is likely due to sandblasting of lead paint that occurred for decades on the exterior of the former tank.
Sandblasting to prepare for re-painting was not unusual for tanks of its era. The soil samples showed lead levels ranging from 50.7 to 1530 milligrams per kilogram. The IDEM limit for residential areas is 400 milligrams per kilogram. If left undisturbed, the press release states the contaminated soil poses no threat to residents, but the soil will soon be removed and disposed of according to IDEM protocols.
New soil will be brought in to replace it. The CBU owns four other water tanks that were constructed before the banning of lead paint in 1978. Soil samplings will take place at each of these sites and remediation efforts will take place if needed.
