A crew of professional divers will descend into the City of Powell’s million gallon water tank this summer to perform a routine cleaning and inspection.

Located near the city’s water shop off West North Street, the 14-foot deep, 110-foot wide tank is part of the system that delivers potable water to Powell residents and businesses. The Environmental Protection Agency generally requires an inspection and cleaning of such tanks every five years, and “it takes a dive team to go do it,” City Administrator Zack Thorington told the council last month.

On April 15, the council agreed to hire Midco Diving & Marine Services for the job, at a cost of $4,236.

Both the divers and their equipment will be “fully disinfected” before entering the water tank, the contract states. Once in the water, they’ll vacuum up any material from the tank floor and check the hatches, walls, ladders, plumbing, seams, look for biofilm buildup and more. Midco’s crew will also video the entire inspection and provide a copy to the city.

The tank last underwent an inspection/cleaning in 2019, said Water/Wastewater Superintendent Ty McConnell. Meanwhile, the city’s east and west water towers need to undergo their own inspections within the next year “before we’re running against the [EPA] deadline,” McConnell said this month.