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Fort Madison Addressing Water Plant Concerns

Fort Madison, IA – Fort Madison says it is working to address some issues surrounding the location of its new water treatment plant.

Water Superintendent Larry Dinwiddie says concerns have been raised over whether the plant is being built on a former landfill. The current location is the intersection of Highway 61 and 280th Street.

Dinwiddie says the city is still gathering information and will respond to the D.N.R. and the E.P.A. in the very near future.

"We are going to come up with a plan as far as testing," says Dinwiddie, "but short of expensive excavation, that should eliminate anyone's concerns that the water is contaminated down here."

Dinwiddie says Fort Madison has been searching old maps to find what some say is the former Montrose city dump. He says a review of a grove of trees revealed some old car parts, but nothing more that would make the city think the land was the site of a former landfill.

Dinwiddie says two wells (#9 & #10) will be quality-tested because they are the closest to that grove of trees. He says the results should be available in September.