Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) officials announced that a $7,500 grant has been awarded to the city of Somerton, Ariz., to determine if lead paint flaking from a water tower is creating environmental health risks for a nearby site expected to be developed into a community park.
Somerton officials have plans to rehabilitate the water tower and build a small park beneath it to commemorate next year’s Arizona State Centennial. The lead paint inspection will determine if there are any health issues for pedestrians walking beneath the tower, which was built in the 1930s, and give the city an estimate of how much the abatement of lead paint would cost.
“Our state response grants are all about partnering with cities like Somerton to identify brownfields and reduce environmental hazards in order to put these properties to better use,” ADEQ Director Henry Darwin said. “We’re pleased that the city of Somerton is looking toward the future to beautify the community and taking appropriate action to redevelop safely and environmentally.”
ADEQ already has awarded more than $21,000 for Somerton’s redevelopment plan in another brownfields project at Somerton Tire Service, which the town wants to acquire and redevelop as part of its beautification project.
The tire repair shop was once a former gas station that ADEQ’s underground storage tank program cleaned up, concluding the work in 2007.
Source: Arizona Department of Environmental Quality
