Morton County commissioners Tuesday considered their options in fixing diesel contamination in ground water and soil beneath the Law Enforcement Center.

Commissioners Bruce Strinden and Mark Bitz were assigned to meet with Mandan officials to determine if there is interest from the city in helping with the costs. The city also houses its police force and emergency 911 officers in the LEC.

Possible solutions include installing a system to remove tainted ground water, replacing the LEC floor and removing tainted soil beneath the LEC.

The proposed de-watering system would activate if ground level waters reached the high levels experienced in the mid-1990s.

"If the ground water rises, it would kick in the pumps and put it in a separator," County Auditor Paul Trauger said of the separator device.

Strinden said a meeting was pending later this month with two city commissioners, Sheriff Dave Shipman and Police Chief Dennis Bullinger.

"Later, we'll have a joint meeting between the full county and city boards to discuss this," Strinden said. "We want to see what we can do to make it inhabitable again.

"When the ground water comes up, it pushes it up to the basement and through the floor and saturates the concrete. To make it inhabitable again, we have to completely remove the floor, and put a drain and sump system. We would have to put it in three feet below."

Strinden said true costs for the projects are unknown.

Strinden said an air ventilation system also might be necessary to make it a safe environment.

Although the basement section was vacated for its intended use as office space, officials of the LEC use it for evidence storage, locker rooms and a computer training room.

"There is no one permanently assigned there. The basement is used on a limited basis," Strinden said.

Strinden said Francis Schwindt of the Mandan Remediation Trust attended Tuesday's Morton County Commission meeting. "He said there may be some MRT funds available to help with the project," Strinden said.

The MRT was awarded $24 million in a settlement with BNSF Railway to remediate diesel spill within city limits. The diesel contamination was detected in 1985 . Workers stationed in the basement repeatedly complained of illness.

The LEC's intended offices were vacated.

(Reach reporter LeAnn Eckroth at 250-8264 or leann.eckroth@bismarcktribune.com.)