On-farm fuel storage is often taken for granted, say agrologists and engineers.
Bulk fuel storage on many prairie farms is a traditional practice. It stems from the need for large and reliable supplies of fuel at critical times and producers’ ability to price their product and manage inventories for financial reasons.
Fuel tanks are slow to wear out and the traditional vessels are simple, single wall, steel units with a filter or two, mounted on steel stands and sporting a rubber hose that is sometimes grounded. Gravity powers the fuel flow. Many are decades old.
Read Also
Agri-business and farms front and centre for Alberta’s Open Farm Days
Open Farm Days continues to enjoy success in its 14th year running, as Alberta farms and agri-businesses were showcased to increase awareness on how food gets to the dinner plate.
Leaks can occur due to corrosion and worn out valves or hoses.
Melissa Orr of Alberta Agriculture said farms should plan to replace obsolete tanks and fuel systems as they become worn out or if they are too small and not high enough to provide gravity-drained fuel to larger, modern farm equipment.
Another consideration is that the older systems are more subject to theft than newer, pump-fed fuel systems. Gravity tanks are also vulnerable to fire, leaks, evaporation, water infiltration and accidental damage.
Orr estimates there are 250 million litres of on-farm fuel storage in Alberta. Manitoba is estimated to have slightly less, while Saskatchewan probably has more. However, volumes are not known, say those provinces’ environment departments.
Ground water contamination is one of the major concerns about older fuel systems.
Orr said a single leak of one drop per second from a tank can release about 900 litres in a year. That could mean a loss of $1,080 at a 2008 average price of $1.20 per litre, including provincial tax that might not apply in all farming situations.
Orr warns that producers who fail to show due diligence with their fuel storage may find financial institutions and insurance companies unwilling to deal with them because of potential liability.
Leaks into ground water can affect a single well or farm or even pollute neighbouring farms and communities.
Here are some considerations for producers building new fuel storage facilities:
* Avoid permeable soil near wells or surface water runways.
* It should provide secondary containment of tanks so leaks won’t flow onto the ground. Double walled tanks also provide containment without needing to build an impermeable berm.
* Tanks should be approved by the Underwriters Laboratories of Canada.
* Include bumper guards or posts to prevent equipment and vehicles from hitting tanks.
* Use grounding to avoid static electricity discharges between hoses and equipment or vehicles. Include both a minimum three metre ground rod buried in the soil so that it reaches moisture, and a cable with a clamp that attaches to vehicles or tanks being filled. Also have a grounded fuel hose.
* A roof over storage tanks provides shade to reduce tank temperature and evaporation and provides a degree of weather protection. Double wall tanks also provide a thermal barrier that reduces large temperature swings.
* New tanks should be located no closer than one metre from other tanks; three metres from any building; six metres from an ignition source; 30 metres from a treed area or surface water and 50 metres from a water well.
* Tanks should be on concrete foundations or supports, compacted clay or gravel or on short metal stands.
* Use ULC approved meters, pumps and valves and nozzles with automatic shutoffs. Proper ventilation caps can reduce internal pressure caused by heating and cooling.
The Alberta government recommends that a hazardous products emergency plan be posted at the site with contact numbers and a plan to control spills and minimize the risk to people, property and the surrounding environment.
It should include a map that indicates the location of the fuel facility and other features of the farmyard, location of fire extinguishers, the location of potential ignition sources and a power cutoff at the transformer or main farm breaker. Also useful on that map is the location of the nearest telephone.
Above ground storage systems require more monitoring and risk prevention than underground systems, but maintenance and installation costs are lower, said Orr.
