Upper Cumberland Regional Airport expecting to receive permits this week to finish the next phase of its fuel tank removal project.
Airport Manager Dean Selby said as they have been working through the process of its fuel farm project, the last step is to remove the in-ground tanks. He said due to the wetlands nearby, TDEC wanted the airport to take extra care during the removal process.
“When you start pulling those tanks out of the ground you don’t know what you’re going to run into,” Selby said. “But we have to make sure the ground is not contaminated, that has to be recompacted with rock and then you have to put asphalt and concrete and all of that to seal it back up once you’re done. So it’s a pretty big undertaking.”
Selby said the airport received a grant of $125,000 for the removal process. He said TDEC will be highly involved with the removal process to be sure there is no contamination or runoff. While the tanks are 25 years old, Selby said they are made of fiberglass so it has less of a chance of deterioration over the years.
Selby said once the permit is approved, the airport can take this next step with its fuel farm project. He said they have executed an agreement with the state as part of a supplemental agreement.
“So the same company that’s been doing this will continue the work so this is just an add-on to their existing scope of work to remove the tanks,” Selby said. “This company is based out of Kentucky and that’s what they specialize in. ”
Selby said barring any unforeseen issues, he and the airport’s engineer hope to be completely finished with the project by the end of the year.
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