P&Z Approves Fuel Tank Placement

For School Bus Fleet

By Andrew Gorosko

Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) members have approved the installation of a 5,000-gallon diesel fuel storage tank in an environmentally sensitive area at 31 Peck’s Lane for use by the local school bus fleet.

Following the conclusion of a public hearing, P&Z members on November 15 approved the fuel tank application from All-Star Transportation, a Waterbury-based firm that provides school bus transportation for Newtown students.

The P&Z issued a special permit for the project. The site is in the town’s Aquifer Protection District (APD) located above the Pootatuck Aquifer, which is the town’s sole source aquifer.

The P&Z had started the fuel tank public hearing on November 1, deciding to continue it to November 15 to provide time to research whether any additional environmental safeguards would apply to the fuel tank’s installation and use. Specifically, P&Z members wanted to know whether any state and/or federal environmental protection regulations applied to such a tank’s use.

As it turned out, P&Z members learned that the town’s own regulations call for the placement of a containment device, also known as a dike, around such a tank to contain spillage that would occur if the tank were to break open.

Those local regulations exceed state standards, said George Benson, town director of planning and land use.

The containment structure around the tank must be able to hold 110 percent of the tank’s fluid volume, he said. Such a configuration would provide “an extra level of security” in the event that a fuel spill occurs, he said.

All-Star applied for the above-ground diesel fuel storage tank on the southeast corner of the 24-acre Peck’s Lane lot, which is in a M-1 (Industrial) zone. All-Star plans to install a horizontal, cylindrical, double-walled fuel tank that is positioned on skids. The tank would be located next to the school bus parking lot.

All-Star President John Dufour told P&Z members that having a tank at 31 Peck’s Lane would serve as a convenience for both the school bus company and for the town’s public works yard, which is located at 4 Turkey Hill Road.

The school bus company currently fuels its buses at the public works yard. Under its contract with the town, the town supplies the bus firm with the fuel to run the buses.

All-Star would own the storage tank where the fuel would continue to be supplied by the town. The firm operates 45 school buses in Newtown.

Having a fuel tank at its fleet parking facility would give the firm better control over its fueling operations, Mr Dufour told P&Z members. The storage tank would only be used for school buses, he said. The tank would be owned by All-Star.

Mr Dufour said the firm has emergency plans to deal with fuel spills when they occur.

In approving the fuel tank application, P&Z members required that the storage tank must have a containment device that is able to hold 110 percent of the tank’s fluid volume in the event of a spill.

P&Z members also required that the fuel dispensed from the tank be strictly limited to fueling school buses.

P&Z members found that the tank application is consistent with the provisions of the 2004 Town Plan of Conservation and Development and also with the requirements of the M-1 (Industrial) zone.

Also, the application meets the standards for a special permit, they found.

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