Well field safety priority for Kensington Council

Concern expressed over location of school’s fuel storage tanks

Kensington Town Council is taking steps to further ensure the safety of the town’s wells. At a recent committee of council meeting they discussed the issue of the location of Kensington Intermediate Senior High School’s diesel fuel storage tank and heating oil storage tank. “Yes steps have been taken to make the tank more secure, but people can still drive into the area and hit the tank, or if something else were to happen, it could be a serious danger to our wellfields,” said Kensington Mayor Rowan Caseley. In Feburary 2016, Caseley wrote a letter to the minister of Transportation, Infrastructure and Energy, Paula Biggar, expressing concern.

“One of the tanks is above ground and is used to supply diesel fuel for school buses. To our knowledge there is no secondary containment in the event of a spill. Furthermore, we are concerned about a possible accident whereby it could be struck by a vehicle, as it is located beside a parking area and no barriers are evident to protect the tank.

“The second tank is located underground and used to store furnace oil. We are not sure how long it has been there and what procedures are in place to identify if a leak occurs,” stated the letter.

Biggar forwarded the letter to John Cummings, the director of the English Language School Board, Robert Mitchell, minister of Communities Land and Environment, and Alan Maynard, director of public works and planning.

Then, in the summer of 2016, the school’s heating oil storage tank was replaced with a new above-ground, fenced in, double-wall steel tank and located away from the diesel tank. At the same time, additional barricades (two small jersey barriers) were placed around the above-ground diesel tank to provide additional protection.

“Because of their locations, it could cause serious trouble if something were to happen and is a danger to our water supplies. We’ve seen what can happen in North Rustico and Summerside. We want to ensure it doesn’t happen here.

“We feel the tanks are still too vulnerable and want to do our best to ensure our water is safe.” At the committee meeting, council passed the resolution to further discuss the matter at the next regular council meeting. At that meeting a joint letter from the town and the Kensington North Watershed Association will be drafted to identify immediate concerns with the storage tank and provide solutions to ensure the long-term safety of the town’s water supply. Some recommendations include, installation of additional protection around the tank, relocating the tank to the Queen Elizabeth Elementary School property, relocating the diesel tank to another area that will not put the water supply at risk, and removal of the tank with school buses being re-fuelled at one of the local commercial diesel suppliers.