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Board reviews plan to remove underground fuel tanks at MSF; state program may reimburse about $27,000
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Summary
An agency official described a plan to decommission two underground fuel tanks at the municipal service facility, move to above-ground split tanks and perform soil and water testing; the official said Indiana offers a 50% reimbursement program that could return roughly $27,000 to the city after closure documentation.
An agency official outlined a plan on April 14 for the City of Columbia City to decommission two underground fuel storage tanks at the municipal service facility (MSF) and replace them with above-ground split tanks that separate gasoline and diesel. The board discussed regulatory steps, testing and a likely equipment lead time of six to 10 weeks.
The presenter said the site currently contains an underground gasoline tank and a roughly 2,000-gallon diesel tank that have experienced water ingress and access issues because of how they were originally installed. “The idea with that is to remove those tanks, decommission them with the state of Indiana,” the agency official said, describing a 30-day notice to state regulators and subsequent soil borings and water sampling to document closure.
The official described above-ground split tanks as a preferred replacement, noting those units include internal compartments, tank-top monitoring hardware and secondary containment to detect leaks. “If there is some sort of leak… it goes into the second containment system within the tank and then an alarm comes off on the tank,” the official said, describing industry-standard leak detection on above-ground units.
Board members discussed oversight by state agencies. The presenter said the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) oversees underground storage and that the state fire marshal regulates above-ground units. The official said IDEM recently created a program offering 50% reimbursement in arrears for underground-decommissioning activities and estimated the city could expect roughly $27,000 back after submitting closure documentation.
The presenter said the main unknown is the result of soil and water sampling; IDEM could require monitoring wells if contamination levels exceed its thresholds. If closure reports are accepted, the presenter said the state typically issues a closure recommendation that relieves the city of further underground-tank responsibility. Equipment for the replacement tanks was described as off-the-shelf aside from the tank itself, which the presenter said is sourced from Ohio.
No dollar figure for the full project cost or a contract award was included in the meeting record. The board did not vote on a procurement or funding authorization during the discussion; the presenter said the first step would be a 30-day notice to the state and, upon approval, ordering equipment and scheduling physical removal work.
The board placed the issue on the record and asked staff to continue planning and permitting steps; the meeting did not set a final timeline beyond the described equipment lead time and required state notice.
