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Chatham County votes to keep and repaint historic Bynum water tower after soil tests show lead
Summary
After soil sampling found elevated lead and chromium around the decommissioned Bynum water tank, the Board of Commissioners voted to retain the county‑owned tank and proceed with repainting and soil remediation steps to restore the adjacent community garden.
The Chatham County Board of Commissioners voted Oct. 20 to retain the county‑owned Bynum water tank and contract to have it repainted, after staff briefed the board on soil testing results and community input.
Assistant County Manager Carolyn Miller told commissioners that initial paint‑prep grinding in May 2024 prompted soil tests that found elevated lead and chromium VI around the tank’s base. The county then conducted a grid sampling plan, reviewed by the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). "DEQ recommended removing topsoil from the garden beds and replacing it as a precaution," Miller said during the presentation (S34). The county paused paint work, tested a 50‑foot perimeter, and shared results with the community before returning with updated bids for either demolition or repainting.
Miller said new bids received after the testing showed about a $20,000 gap between the low demolition quote (just under $32,000) and the low repainting quote (just under $52,000). Tri River, the regional utility now holding county water assets, agreed to exclude the tank parcel from its asset transfer and said it would disconnect on‑site booster equipment; Tri River will not fund the tank work because the structure is not an active utility asset. "The tank is painted with lead paint," Miller told the board, and county staff recommended proceeding with paint encapsulation and replacement of contaminated topsoil in garden beds to allow the Bynum Community Garden to reopen.
Public speakers from Bynum had urged the county to preserve the tank as a local landmark and to restore community garden operations. The board’s motion to "keep and paint the water tower" was made by Commissioner Franklin Gomez Flores (S4), seconded, and carried by voice vote. The board directed staff to move quickly on soil removal and garden replacement and to assume responsibility for ongoing inspection and re‑painting maintenance unless a community partner formalizes a funding agreement. "If it’s ours, we’re going to take care of it," Miller said (S34).
