Ironton Mayor Rich Blankenship said Friday that Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) officials have completed their inspection of the hillside slip at the Nixon Hill water tank.

The heavy rains this spring and summer have created headaches for area governments now contending with mudslides that are affecting roadways and other municipal properties.

Blankenship said the next step is to conduct a geotechnical study and boring tests on the slip. Once these items are completed, a retaining wall will be designed and built.

Two flood pumps were also damaged by the hillside slip. Blankenship said the pumps are also being inspected to see if they must be replaced or can be repaired.

“This is a lengthy process,” Blankenship said. “There is a lot of detail involved. It’s not an overnight process but we are working diligently on this and we are fortunate to have gotten FEMA money to make these repairs.”

FEMA has also agreed to reimburse the city for any manpower costs and use of equipment at the site.

Blankenship said FEMA does not yet have a completion date for the project or a projected cost.

The city completed work on the two-million gallon Nixon Hill water tank in 2009 at a cost of $1.58 million. It replaced on older, underground water tank that was leaking an estimated 350,000 to 750,000 gallons of water per day.