Correction: The fuel storage tank is above-ground, and the Zoning Board of Appeals had recommended putting it underground, which would be against code.

The site of the new Onset Fire Station on Sand Pond Road was purchased by the district in 1954 for the express purpose of protecting the watershed.

District resident and former Prudential Committee member Mike Besse argues that by building on the site, the district is improperly overriding residents’ will and potentially endangering the water supply.

The planned station, which will cost about $8 million, will host a number of vehicles and an above-ground diesel storage tank to fuel a generator.

“One mistake and we could lose the whole watershed,” said Besse.

Besse also claims that the site is already contaminated with old computers and mattresses.

The members of the Zoning Board of Appeals also expressed concerns about the fuel storage tank, but the district is working with a tight budget after voters cut funding from $13.9 million to $8 million.

The department’s fuel tank is contained within a concrete tank that could hold the entire volume in case of a spill. The tank is located on the parking lot, which is pitched so that any spill would go into a drainage system that would separate fuel and water.

The department has also taken a number of steps to protect the groundwater from runoff, including filtering systems and a retention pond.

The department has a test well to monitor water quality. 

Onset Fire Chief Ray Goodwin said that the district has had its plans approved by both the Department of Environmental Protection and the Executive Office of Environmental Affairs, and is following state guidelines imposed due to the site’s location by the wellfield.

He said that they have complied with all recommendations.