Oil tank 'red-tagged' at Windham Center Elementary

Michelle Warren, The Chronicle, Willimantic, Conn.
·2 min read

Aug. 3—WINDHAM — Concerned about the age of the oil tank at Windham Center Elementary School, the state Department of Energy of Environmental Protection has " red- tagged" it for replacement.

Water recently got into the tank, which is almost 33 years- old.

Windham Public Schools Facilities Director Dawn Thomacos updated the board of education about the situation during their July 27 meeting.

" We need to come up with a temporary, above- ground solution so there won't be any impact to the opening of schools," she said.

The tank was placed in the ground on Sept. 1, 1989 and thus, has exceeded its 30- year life expectancy.

" It is being red- tagged today which means once the oil tank is empty, they won't be refilling it," Thomacos said during the meeting.

She met with DEEP officials on Friday. Thomacos said the state has given the district until Oct. 1 to provide evidence to DEEP that the tank was permanently closed.

" We already got the oil out," she said on Monday, noting that there was approximately 2,300 gallons of oil in the tank. That oil was put into the tank at North Windham Elementary School.

Kropp Environmental Contractors, which is in Lebanon, was hired to do an environmental analysis. She said the leak was discovered when Kropp was doing compliance tests for the district and there was a failed test.

" They are the ones that pumped the oil out," Thomacos said. " We have been in the process of removing and replacing that tank anyway, both at Windham Center ( School) and North Windham ( School)."

She said DEEP doesn't plan to fine the school district.

Friar Architecture was hired to remove oil tanks at those two schools.

The district is expected to get a 79.29% reimbursement from the state, a rate that Thomacos believes does not include the removal of the existing tank.

" We just had two other underground storage tanks removed and that's not a reimbursable item," she said, referring to projects at Natchaug and Sweeney School Now that the oil has been removed from the Windham Center School tank, school officials are exploring their options with Friar Architecture, Kropp and Eagle Environmental.

" There have been some issues with getting the oil tank replaced," she said.

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