09_Lead_Based_Paint_Sampling_Report_Sand_Lake_Tower_2024.pdf

This document is a Lead-Based Paint Sampling Report for the Fire Tower located at the Sand Lake Wildlife Refuge in Columbia, South Dakota, conducted in December 2024 by Environmental Management of Huron, South Dakota. The inspection involved collecting two paint samples - one from the inside wall and one from the outside wall of the observation tower - which were then analyzed by EHS Laboratories in Richmond, Virginia using X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) spectrum analysis.

The laboratory results revealed significant lead-based paint contamination, with the inside wall sample containing 50,000 parts per million (ppm) of lead at 5.0% by weight, and the outside tower sample containing 190,000 ppm of lead at 19% by weight. The report explicitly recommends that "an effort should be made to properly remove or encapsulate the lead-based paint" due to the samples exceeding EPA lead-based paint guidelines. The investigation was performed by Jim Hein, an EPA-certified lead-based paint risk assessor, who completed the inspection on December 10, 2024 and certified the findings.