Caledonia Septic Company seeks approval for storage tank

   The Town of Caledonia Zoning Board of Appeals is considering a use variance for a septage storage tank to be constructed in the wilderness on the east side of Avon-Caledonia Road. Barefoot Septic and Sewer, Inc. applied for the variance at the November 25, 2008 TZBA. The board must render its decision within 62 days of hearing the application.

   Jon and Scott Barefoot represented their company at the meeting where Scott presented the details of their application for the use variance. The company owns 55 acres of vacant farmland situated in a R-R (agricultural and rural residential) zoned area at 3601 Avon-Caledonia Road, which would require a variance in order to move ahead with construction of the storage tank. Barefoot says his company would benefit from this type of storage facility and in turn, if approved for construction, it would help keep customer costs down. Caledonia, and other towns who do not have a municipal sewer system, rely on companies like Barefoot Septic and Sewer to properly dispose of the septage generated by individual septic systems. The NYS Department of Environmental Conversation strictly regulates the septic and sewage disposal business and it is becoming more difficult and costly in recent months to properly dispose of the septage in accordance with DEC regulations, Barefoot told the TZBA.

   "Barefoot Septic and Sewer, Inc. is committed to providing septic pumping services in the most economically and environmentally friendly way possible while trying to keep costs down," Scott Barefoot said.

   According to DEC regulations, the septage must be environmentally disposed of in one of three ways: land applied, handled by a sewage treatment plant or properly stored. The DEC strictly regulates all of the methods. Land application is not a viable option during the cold and wet months and there is only one wastewater treatment facility in the area, the VanLare Wastewater Treatment Facility located in Rochester. Barefoot says it is an expensive method of disposing of septage and that it is increasing all of the time. The customer bears a portion of the costs for using the VanLare treatment plant in the price to pump their septic systems. The proposed septage storage tank would reduce the transportation and handling costs associated with trips to the VanLare plant, which Barefoot says would benefit the customer.

   "A storage tank, regulated by the DEC, is clearly needed to help us accomplish our commitment of trying to keep costs down for our customers," explained Barefoot.

   The proposed storage tank would be approximately 15 feet in height and 81 feet in diameter. The tank can hold 500,000 gallons of septage. The company says it would only use the storage tank during the winter months. The proposed site for the tank is about 2,400 feet off of the east side of the road making it not visible from the highway and about 1,500 feet away from the nearest residential property. The owner of that property wrote a letter to the TZBA stating that they have no opposition to the proposed storage tank.

   New England Tank Statewide Aquastore, the company that builds tanks of this type, attended the meeting to describe that the tank would be constructed of steel overlaid with a glass coating and situated on a six-inch concrete foundation. The company has constructed similar tanks throughout New York State.

   The Livingston County Planning Board reviewed the proposed project and voted to approve it pending the applicant’s satisfactory demonstration of local use variance criteria.

   The town’s attorney explained the criteria to the applicants and said the TZBA would consider the proposal with respect to the local zoning regulations.

   Town Planning Board Chairman Robert Sturm told the ZBA that the Barefoots are a respected company and people of integrity and he said there was no opposition to the storage tank from the town planning board; however, they had to pass the project on to the ZBA for the required use variance.