The Warrenton Board of Aldermen at their July 21 meeting proposed establishing additional regulations for generators and fuel storage tanks.

Alderman Brandon Lang raised the issue, specifically suggesting requiring setbacks from waterways for large fuel tanks. The discussion then expanded to emergency planning requirements for companies or organizations that store large amounts of fuel.

“The state of Missouri only has a 300-foot setback for generators and fuel storage when it comes to wells. There is nothing that protects our watershed for fuel storage or generators if there would be a leak or an accident or a natural disaster that would spill that fuel into our watershed,” Lang said.

“So what I’m asking for is a 200-foot setback for anything that is considered our watershed, so like creeks, ponds, lakes, storm runoff, anything that would contribute water to a bigger creek or a bigger lake.”

The setback Lang proposed would apply not only to public waterways but also to bodies of water on private property. “Just because if it did leak, I don’t want it to be leaking into somebody’s lake or pond,” he said.

Asked by Alderman Christine Wait for his views on the matter, Warren County Emergency Management Director Mike Thornton said he was in favor of the proposal.

“I do like Alderman Lang’s idea. I think it’s a pretty good idea. It’s just cut and dried. I mean, you need to have setbacks from your creeks and your waterways, because it’s not if, it’s when. It’s going to happen at some point,” he said.

Lang, along with Aldermen Roger Romaker and Josh Chandler, noted that the city has yet to determine a minimum size of fuel storage tank that its new regulation will apply to, a point reiterated by Wait.

“If we’ve got a 50-gallon barrel and it tips over, it’s very likely that that’s going to get soaked in at a pretty close spot to where it’s at, but if we have something that’s 500 gallons and it’s going to go straight downhill, you know, how do we solve that?” she asked.

“It’s kind of hard to solve,” said Thornton. He and Lang noted that how the soil would absorb varying amounts of fuel would depend on factors including soil type and how much moisture was already in the ground. It was “more of a DNR (Missouri Department of Natural Resources) question” that went beyond the scope of his job, Thornton said.

He added, however, that precedent exists for requiring the preparation of similar plans, which the city could mandate for those storing large amounts of fuel.

“For every dam, not just in Missouri but in the United States, they have to have an emergency action plan. You guys could do something similar to that for these generators and fuel storage containers,” Thornton said.

“I would recommend that because then that kind of covers you guys if something happens; that covers them if something happens; they also know who to contact if something happens,” he said, adding that each individual plan should list what kind of hazardous material is being stored, what it reacts with if released, and similar relevant information in case of an emergency.

Requiring individuals or organizations that store large amounts of fuel to come up with these kinds of emergency plans would not be a bad idea, Thornton said.

Mayor Eric Schleuter suggested holding a workshop meeting to discuss the proposal further with representatives from the Warren County Regional Hazardous Materials Team and Warrenton Fire Protection District. No date was set at the July 21 meeting for the workshop.