The Holiday Island Suburban Improvement District Board of Commissioners got a tutorial in up-to-date fuel lines for marinas at its March 19 meeting. District Manager Lawrence Blood said 300 gallons of fuel at the marina had leaked last year, some of which made it into Table Rock Lake, and the incident could have been worse. The lines have been repaired but Blood said the situation “has a dark cloud hanging over it.”
He said the project would have to go out to bid at some point for a permanent upgrade, and introduced Jared Barnes and Steve Brandt of Mid-State Petroleum Equipment (MSPE) who spent most of the first hour of the meeting explaining their view of how to remedy the problem.
Barnes told the board the problem stemmed from the piping used. It was held in high esteem in the industry when it was installed, but has since proved to be unreliable, and the company that produced it is no longer in business. He recommended a newer type of double-walled stainless steel piping which is continuous from the source to the dispenser, which means it has no connections along its length that might leak.
Blood asked if MSPE would handle all regulatory aspects of the installation, and Brandt said dealing with environmental regulations and testing of the system was part of their estimate, but HISID should include this requirement in the scope of work listed in the bid.
When asked for an estimate of the project, Barnes said it would depend. Pumps, pipes, control consoles, tank gauge and other ancillary equipment could reach $115,000. Getting just pipes and pumps would be in the $75,000 range, and Barnes cautioned the board that estimates now might not hold for long because of cost fluctuations in the industry.
A decision remains on the agenda.