Iowa Premium Beef plant at Tama. News-Herald file photo

“I would recommend doing (this) at the start up of the pack. I’d have to say do it when they start getting cattle in,” was the advice of Tama Public Works Director John Lloyd to city council members Monday night. He was referring to replacing an eight-inch water city supply line to the facility.

Iowa Premium Beef officials have recently announced they are working toward reopening the shuttered beef processing plant on Tama’s east side. However, no date has been set to get it up and running.

The water main in question was found to have broken this fall and has since been repaired to allow water to be supplied to a fire hydrant. It runs from Business Route 30 south to the north side of the packing house area where it goes under L Avenue and runs to he plant itself.

Lloyd told council members they should consider relocating it from the west side to the east side of L Avenue. This would remove the line from possible exposure to contaminants from runoff from the adjacent Tama Livestock Auction site, he said. The current location of the line could cause it to suffer infiltration problems if it were to break again, Lloyd said.

Council members and Lloyd said the city water supplied to the pack would be used primarily in the office areas and they believed the plan is for the pack to use wells on the site which are already in place for much of the operation.

Lloyd said city workers could do the replacement work, “but manpower (requirements) could be a question.”

The estimated cost is just over $60,000.