b'66 RBO FUELINGNueces County Airport Installs New Fuel Tanks and Dispensing Station BY MIKE SCHWANZFACTS&FIGURESPractically speaking, flood zonesCox and his team knew they had to and aging fuel tanks just dontaddress the safety concerns associated Project: New Fuel Tanks & Dispensing System mix. with RBOs old fuel tank. They also Location: Nueces County (TX) AirportThis was thewanted to increase fuel sales by beginning Annual Operations: 12,000 predicament facingto offer jet fuel. In addition, going from Construction: March 2021-March 2022 John Cox, manager ofa single 8,000-gallon tank to a pair of Nueces County Airport12,000-gallon tanks would save money in Cost: $832,940 future delivery charges. In the past, RBO Key Components: Two 12,000-gal. aboveground tanks;(RBO), a small generalhad to pay a surcharge when a supply modernized point-of-sale system aviation airport located in Robstown, TX. JOHN COX truck came to fill the old 8,000-gallon tank, Funding: 90% TXDOT; 10% Nueces County because that was considered a partial refill. Engineering & Design: Argus Consulting We only had one 8,000-gallon fuel tankA 12,000-gallon tank is the industry norm, buried underground. It was put in about 40and more truck-friendly, Cox explains.Main Civil Contractor: Garrett Construction years ago, and had far outlived its useful Skid, Tanks & Piping: Alpaugh Supply life, Cox relates. For the past severalTo address these issues, airport Tank Manufacturer: Alabama Tank years, I often have lost sleep worryingofficials asked the Texas Department of about having some sort of a serious leak. Transportation (TXDOT) to fund a modern, Fuel System Management Unit: Fuelmaster 2550 aboveground fuel station. Their pitch was General Contractor: D&H United Located in southeastern Texas, aboutsuccessful, and TXDOT awarded the Key Benefits: Improved safety with aboveground tanks &30 miles west of Corpus Christi and theengineering and construction contract for infrastructure; increased fuel storage capacity (from 8,000Gulf of Mexico, RBO doesnt have to dealthe project to Argus Consulting through gal. to 24,000 gal.); addition of Jet-A fuel; reduced fuelwith snow or ice. However, occasionalthe states standard bidding process. delivery expenses; diminished environmental concerns; newhurricanes and tropical storms coming offThe companys responsibilities included infrastructure designed for long lifecycle & high return onthe Gulf do pose a real threat. investment January | February 2023AirportImprovement.com'