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Schools

Nicolet Plans to Remove Underground Fuel Storage Tanks

No environmental threat from the tanks, but removal will save Nicolet an estimated $1,300 per year.

With fuel prices and energy costs rising, Nicolet administrators have decided it's time to remove the underground fuel storage tanks, saving an estimated $1,300 in maintenance and operating costs, pending approval from the School Board at the March 28 meeting.

“The cost of operating the tanks has gone up significantly, and the regulatory costs of keeping and maintaining the tanks have eroded the cost savings associated with having a secondary fuel source,” Brian Reiels, director of facility services said.

The 6,000-gallon underground storage tank is in a grassy area near the loading dock. Another 2,000-gallon above ground storage tank is outside the F-wing boiler room. The tanks do not pose an immediate threat to the environment, although the underground tank may affect the condition of the soil.

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"In the long-term, God forbid one of them leaks, the cleanup costs would wash away any savings we might have had," Reiels said.

The tanks are used as a secondary fuel source for heat on very, very cold days.

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“We haven't had a natural gas constraint day in years,” Reiels said. A constraint day happens on a cold day when a large natural gas consumer like Nicolet agrees to let the gas company interrupt service to allow the gas to be used elsewhere, resulting in a slight price break.

On those cold constraint days, the school would have two hours to use their secondary fuel source – the fuel oil tanks – or they could face additional charges until they switched over.

Reiels said that the savings provided by the tanks has been drastically reduced due to the abundant supply of natural gas to the metro area.

“The project is price neutral,” Reiels said. He explained that the long term cost of storing rarely used fresh oil in a time of rising oil prices, along with state, county and in-house inspections, and the possibility of expensive environmental clean-up makes removing the tanks “a sound fiscal decision.”

The district could receive a rebate of $250 for the fuel and the tanks providing there is no environmental clean-up. Reiels said that Nicolet is not participating in eco-credits.

“Both tanks are extremely low risk for leakage," Reiels said. "The above ground tank is inspected annually and is a double wall construction. The below ground tank is fiberglass and is double wall constructed as well. In addition we monitor the below ground tank with a state-of-the-art electronic tank monitoring system."

However, even though the tanks are continually monitored, Reiels said that they won't know if there's been any soil problems until the tanks are removed.

 “The only unknown we are up against is the underground storage tank is located in the same area where previous tanks were located so we are unsure of what the soil conditions will be,” Reiels said.

A timeline for removing the tanks has not been determined yet, but Reiels said that most likely work will begin in the summer months.

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