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Council orders follow-up on failed above-ground fuel tanks after assessment flags leaks and poor spill protection
Summary
A Unified Services assessment found multiple above-ground storage tanks on city property to be failed, cracked and lacking adequate spill protection; council directed staff to stop fills, pursue removal or sale to the operator and research disposal costs and market options.
City staff told the council during a study session that a recent assessment by Unified Services flagged several above-ground fuel storage tanks on a city-owned parcel as failed and in poor condition, recommending the city either sell or demolish and remediate the tanks.
AP, the public works director, said the report identified four 10,000-gallon horizontal tanks and a 5,000-gallon vertical tank in poor condition; the tanks currently contain fuel that the operator James Oil stores under a prior arrangement. Unified’s report recommended either selling the tanks to the operator (who would remove them) or funding demolition and remediation. AP said the property’s current arrangement left the city responsible for maintenance by contract terms and that continued use exposed the city to spill and remediation liability.
Councilmembers said the city should stop having the tanks filled and pursue removal. Staff agreed to explore market options, contact manufacturers and firms (including a suggested Seneca Tank contact), and determine disposal costs and fair market value if any. The council emphasized that getting the tanks off-site was a high priority and that the city does not want remediation liability.
Next steps: staff will investigate options for sale or disposal, stop filling the tanks immediately, and gather detailed size and condition information to determine disposal costs and any possible revenue from buyers.
