P&Z Reviews Diesel Fuel Tank Proposal 

By Andrew Gorosko

Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) members are seeking information about possible state and federal regulations covering the installation and use of a diesel fuel storage tank in an environmentally sensitive area, before acting on an application from a busing firm to install such fuel facilities at 31 Peck’s Lane.

All-Star Transportation, a Waterbury-based firm that provides school bus transportation for Newtown students, is seeking P&Z approval for a special permit to install a 5,000-gallon above-ground diesel fuel storage tank on the southeast corner of the 24-acre lot, which is in a M-1 (Industrial) zone.

All-Star proposes that a horizontal, cylindrical, double-walled fuel tank be positioned on skids.

The company parks its school buses at the site. The tank would be used to fuel the firm’s buses. That fueling currently occurs at the town Public Works Department at 4 Turkey Hill Road. As part of its contract with the town, the town supplies the firm with fuel for its buses.

At a November 1 public hearing, John Dufour, the present of All-Star, told P&Z members that having a diesel fuel tank adjacent to its school bus parking lot at 31 Peck’s Lane would eliminate the need for buses to travel to the public works yard to refuel, thus cutting bus traffic at the public works yard.

Mr Dufour said the proposed fuel tank also would be more convenient for school bus drivers.

P&Z member Michael F. Porco, Sr, noted that the site proposed for the fuel tank is in the Aquifer Protection District (APD), a land use zone designed with aquifer protection in mind. He added that the proposed tank would hold “a lot of gallons.” Mr Porco urged that the tank project incorporate an additional level of spill protection.

Mr Dufour said that the site is illuminated at night, is covered by surveillance cameras, and is patrolled by police.

Under the terms of the tank proposal, All-Star would pay for the tank and for its installation and the town would continue to provide fuel for the school buses. School bus drivers keep records on the amount of fuel that the buses use, he said.

The diesel tank at the public works department supplies fuel for school buses as well as for various town vehicles, Mr Dufour said. The fuel tank proposed for 31 Peck’s Lane would only be used for school bus refueling, he said.

At an October session, the town Aquifer Protection Agency (APA) unanimously endorsed the fuel tank proposal, finding that it would have no significant adverse effect on the underlying Pootatuck Aquifer.

Rob Sibley, town deputy director of planning and land use, told P&Z members that while the town’s aquifer protection regulations cover the All-Star fuel tank application, the state’s aquifer protection regulations do not cover the application.

P&Z member Jane Brymer asked Mr Sibley whether there are any state or federal environmental protection regulations which pertain to All-Star’s fuel tank application.

P&Z Chairman Lilla Dean said that after such research is done, the public hearing on the tank proposal would resume on November 15.

Following the November 1 session, Ms Brymer said that she is not seeking to have All-Star obtain another permit for its fuel tank proposal, but to have the firm comply with any applicable state and/or federal “best management practices” in terms of handling a volatile substance in an environmentally sensitive area.

The 31 Peck’s Lane site is owned by Tier One Real Estate Inc. The town government had its offices in a building at that property before moving to Fairfield Hills in 2009.

In an August 17 letter Mr Sibley, Jonathan Curina, a senior environmental engineer for Fuss & O’Neill of Trumbull, wrote, “Provided the tank system/components are manufactured/installed per industry standard and operated in accordance with applicable best management practices, the potential short-term and long-term impact to the environment and aquifer are negligible.” Fuss & O’Neill, a engineering consulting firm, represents All-Star.