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Show NORTH COUNTY NEWSPAPERS Page 13 VOICES FROM THE COMMUNITY Thursday, April 20, 2006 City fuel depots were given up long ago Editor: There is an untold story about the proposed convenience store that the City of Lehi wants to install. Years ago, every city, every county and many of the State agencies had their own fuel storage, usually in underground storage tanks. The governmental governmen-tal agencies had no need for using us-ing local facilities to obtain their fuel, they had their own. Beginning in 1988, the federal fed-eral government required that ' most of the tanks had to meet leak prevention and clean up standards by 1998. Virtually all the governmental risk managers manag-ers concluded that it would be more expensive to comply with the new rules than to buy fuel on the open market, thus began a decade of tank removals, the only cost effective method that the risk managers approved for getting rid of the tanks. In 1991, Lehi removed its three tanks. The tanks had been leaking and the city probably spent a lot of money getting the leak corrected. It wasn't until five and a half years later that the leak was closed out by the State. The environmental liability li-ability connected to a leak from these tanks is enormous. The average clean up cost exceeds $150,000. At the time that Lehi City experienced its leak, the cost was probably greater than that. The State of Utah initiated a financial assurance program to help cover the costs of tank leaks. However, the fund was mismanaged and now is in jeopardy of total failure, leaving tank owners without coverage and the entire State at risk of fire and contamination danger, since the clean up costs are simply too great for most tank owners to bear. Keeping liability and cost in mind, enter a new factor; emergency emer-gency preparedness. We used to think that if there were a large earthquake, all we had to do would be to hold out for 72 hours and then the government would have everything back on line and life would resume as normal. Now we know that not to be the case. It can take months or years to restore essentia es-sentia governmental services like clean water, sewer and passable roads. None of this work can be done without fuel. That means gasoline and diesel fuel. Now you have environmental environmen-tal liability, clean up costs and emergency preparedness to juggle. Ask yourself if any of these factors can be made up by the private sector. Well, they could except for the fact that Lehi has only six active, commercial com-mercial stations in town. In an emergency, the private sector would have the same claim on the available fuel as the City. I would estimate that the fuel storage would last less than one day and then those sources would be emptied of their fuel. The plan by Lehi City to construct a fuel storage facility makes good sense for serving the people in the event of a di saster. I can assure you that the employees of this City are some of the best in the State. They are knowledgeable, capable and willing to help all of us. But they can't help us if they can't get to us. Lehi City is one of the largest cities in the county by area. Without fuel, the City employees would be unable to . service much if any of the city. We would be helpless. If you don't believe we would be helpless, canvas your neighborhood neigh-borhood and see who has fuel storage. In our ward, we took an inventory about 12 years ago and found that only one person had fuel storage and it was just 500 gallons. How long do you think that would last in an emergency? emer-gency? Would you be willing to give over your fuel storage to the government in an emergency; emergen-cy; that is a point to ponder. There have been vast improvements im-provements in the technology of fuel storage and leak remediation reme-diation that now can satisfy risk managers. These methods can circumvent the failed State insurance program and leave tank owners with viable systems sys-tems for daily use or for emergencies. emer-gencies. Two such options are vaulted tanks and continuous remediation remedia-tion systems. The vaulted tank option is exempt from EPA and State control. This tank system was installed by Orem City for their fuel storage. It also gives the vaulted tank owner a break on fuel tax, saving a little bit of money with each gallon dispensed. dis-pensed. Continuous remediation systems sys-tems work with conventional, regulated tank systems. They employ a series of leak detectors detec-tors that alert the tank owner if any fuel is leaked, then the detectors activate a clean up system to insure that the leak does not grow and become an environmental liability. Both of these systems are available to City of Lehi and should be strongly considered. They would protect the citizens and provide the highest level of fuel storage safety in daily operation opera-tion and in an emergency. The City of Lehi needs fuel storage to insure that emergencies emergen-cies do not cripple their ability to serve us. They are not the federal government, these people really do serve. The convenience con-venience store option is just that in my mind, an option. It makes sense, since the location of the store is not highly populated. The lessee will be required to make the same payments as if the facility were privately owned, but the city can take over the fuel storage in an emergency and that makes sense. The city is trying to help us, it is not trying to hurt any of the few businesses in town that own and operate convenience stores. The municipal fuel storage concept must be implemented if we are to survive a large scale disaster without significant mortality. This concept is not just for convenience, this is for survival. I support the city in their effort and recommend an open hearing on the subject. Mark T.Ellis, Lehi Willow trees not dying from drought Editor: Your lead article in Thursday's Thurs-day's (April 6) Lehi Free Press needs clarification. The willow trees at Willow Park are dying from the lack of water, but not because of the recent drought. Go just a few hundred feet south of this unique grove of trees. You will see a huge pump hoase belonging belong-ing to Saratoga Springs. In recent re-cent years this pump has been sucking thousands of gallons of water every day from the source that has been supplying these trees with abundant water wa-ter for nearly 150 years. Great-grandpa Worlton, before he left England, went to lush green willow trees and cut several branches. He carefully care-fully wrapped them in wet rags and transported them to Utah. He planted them where there was an abundant supply of water. If the recent drought was the cause of these trees dying, they would have died long ago from drought. There have been about ten cycles of severe se-vere drought in the area since great grandpa Worlton came to Lehi. One drought cycle in the 19.50s nearly dried up Utah Lake. History tells us that one could walk nearly all the way across the Utah Lake lxttom on dry ground. The willow trees in Willow Park are a different species than the native willow trees growing all over Utah Valley. Val-ley. Notice the Willow Park grove of trees have straight tall trunks reaching straight and majestically into the blue sky. Native willow trees are usually squatty and spread out. Neither of the trees mentioned in the article are "black" willow wil-low trees. If Utah County socialists cannot correctly identify the source of the problem they certainly never will correct the problem. Further desecration (cutting off the trunks and destroying the trees) is not a solution. Simply cutting green shoots from surviving trees, sticking those shoots in the ground, where there is an adequate source of water will provide an abundant supply of the historically significant trees at Willow Park. Carl Mellor GOING ON VACATION? Donate your newspapers to Newspaper in Education. For more information call 344-2923 'ewe & rn n rvnA Celebrates 4-6 Years aurora 44QQE tflXii x 7, 1 1 afeh for Sales and Celebrations ML ONTH LONG at Dave's Bernina! Monday - Friday 10 o-6cm SstcrCay 9 sra-5 pm 268 West Center St Provo 374-5520 www.srtista.RSt IV , DOLLARS - DOLLARS 1 1 Jt-s Looking for a close convenient place to turn your scrap into cash. We buy all types of Metals, Steel, Autos, Appliances, Aluminum, Aluminum Cans, Copper, Brass, Radiators, Stainless, Batteries. 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Please call Donna and Dan 866-534-3087. YARD SALE SATURDAY April 22, 8 a.m. 99 N. 500 West Lehi Pats t Samites Tart Salt LEHI MULTI-FAMILY Garage Sale. 1523 W. 200S. Sat. April 22 8am-3pm Our sweet female family fam-ily catof 6 yrs needs to find a kind loving home. Call 492-1791 WEIMARANER puppies $450 310-0613 ready April 30 YORKIE puppy, Female AKC registered. 5 12 wks old, Ready to go. $1000, 435-843-5761 Hardworking Laborers needed Starting at $7hr. Call 642-0112 NslpWintMl LEHI Citys Vets ballpark ball-park Concession stand is now hiring. Adult supervisors su-pervisors May-Oct. Turn application into Legacy Center or call Lori 768-7124 NOW Hiring AT LehiDs Vets Ballpark concession conces-sion stand May-Oct. Turn application into Legacy Center or Lori Thomas 768-7124 POSTAL JOBS $15.67-$21.98hr, now hiring. For application and free government job info, call American Assoc of Labor 1 913-599-8042. 24hrs. emp. serv. ALPINE FIVEPLEX $495,000. 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