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Warrenton aldermen favor extended setbacks, plan workshop on generator and fuel‑storage rules
Summary
Alderman Alden Lang proposed local setbacks (board signaled support for about 300 feet) and secondary‑containment and emergency‑plan requirements for generators and liquid fuel near creeks and ponds. The board agreed to a workshop with fire/hazmat and legal staff to draft two bills.
Alderman Alden Lang urged the Warrenton Board of Aldermen on July 21 to adopt new local limits on generators and liquid fuel storage near waterways, saying existing state rules do not protect the city’s watershed from leaks and spills.
"I do think we need to do this for liquid fuel," Lang said, proposing a 200‑foot setback measured from the highest bank of creeks, ponds and runoff features, and asking the board to consider size thresholds and containment requirements. Members quickly moved the conversation toward a uniform, more conservative approach, with several saying a 300‑foot setback from a creek’s centerline would be easier to enforce and better protect downstream waters.
Lang asked the board to require secondary containment for larger storage vessels and to require businesses and larger facilities to submit a mitigation or emergency plan. "We could also have it where they have to have a plan in place to contain it," a council member said during the discussion.
Emergency‑response and environment specialists on the dais and in the audience recommended technical input from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources and the local fire protection district. An emergency‑management official noted that existing nationwide tier‑2 reporting and Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS/SDS) could support a local review process but do not replace site‑specific containment planning.
Board members discussed measurement options (highest bank versus centerline), tank‑volume thresholds that would trigger containment, and whether state guidance such as NFPA standards should be incorporated by reference. Officials raised concerns about mobile tanks that could be moved to evade a static setback, and emphasized that containment language must be specific to avoid loopholes.
The board agreed to schedule a workshop with the fire/hazmat representatives, emergency management, legal counsel and staff to draft two separate ordinances: one on setbacks and one on containment and emergency plans. City staff were asked to circulate proposed language and invite the appropriate state and county agencies to the workshop.
The discussion produced no final ordinance; the board directed staff to pursue the workshop as the next procedural step.
