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Alton addresses highway-yard holding-tank overflow; board asks staff to get estimate for alarm upgrade
Summary
A holding tank overflow at the highway department released an oil-water mix into a swale on Sunday night. Firefighters contained the spill; the board authorized staff to get price estimates for electronic alarm upgrades and signaled support for using the building capital reserve to fund repairs if needed.
Town Administrator Ryan told the Alton Board of Selectmen on June 10 that the holding tank for a floor drain at the highway department overflowed Sunday night, releasing an oil-and-water mixture into a nearby swale that required a cleanup. "The containment was successful, but obviously, we had to endure some cleanup, and that's going on right now," Ryan said.
Seth, the Public Works Director, described the technical cause and recommended upgrades. "The float alarm for that was an older style, just essentially a mercury switch, a float bulb. Those can get hung up with oil...but in this case, it was actually the wire connections that hold it together and corroded apart," Seth said. He added the alarm wiring failure meant the circuit assumed an "open" condition and never tripped.
Selectmen discussed next steps and funding. Board members and staff agreed the town should obtain cost estimates for replacing the antiquated float alarm with an electronic notification system that would call designated staff if the tank level rose. The board gave consensus direction to pursue estimates and indicated willingness to use the Building Capital Reserve to pay for necessary repairs, with staff returning with a specific price before expending reserve funds.
Fire Department personnel responded Sunday night and placed containment boom; Ryan said state regulators and other required agencies were notified and responded. "The fire department came out and helped contain everything," Ryan said.
The board and staff emphasized a faster, redundant alarm system to avoid recurrence. Seth said the town would investigate alarm technology similar to systems that automatically notify staff by phone. Ryan and Seth will solicit estimates and report back to the board for final approval before drawing on capital reserve funds.
No formal vote to spend money from the capital reserve was recorded at the June 10 meeting; the board approved moving forward with estimates and a plan to return with a firm cost for explicit approval.
