The Federal Aviation Administration has given officials in Le Mars the go-ahead to build a new, 140-foot tall water tower on the southwest corner of town. Mike Washburn is with a Fort Dodge engineering company that’s worked on the project. “They issued a determination of ‘no hazard’ which allows the tower to be constructed as it was originally designed,” Washburn says.
Federal officials had expressed concern the water tower could pose a risk to planes using the Le Mars airport, but Le Mars officials modified airport traffic patterns in response to those concerns. “It was a very good solution, I think, that protected the airport’s interest and allowed the city to build a water tower,” Washburn says.
Construction for the water tower is expected to start this spring.
(Reporting by Dennis Morrice, KLEM, Le Mars)