Hartland Co-op seeks board consent for anhydrous tank expansion; staff say site meets state spacing rules

Nick Steinbach of the Hartland Co-op presented a site expansion plan for anhydrous ammonia storage and asked the Madison County supervisors to note zoning and permitting compliance ahead of IDALS review.

Steinbach said the proposal meets two key Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship spacing requirements shown on site diagrams: "According to where we're looking to put the anhydrous tanks, it's 107 feet" from the road, exceeding the 50-foot minimum, and the nearest residence is 587 feet away, above the 450-foot minimum. He also described the existing tank configuration and plans to relocate equipment tied to a recent purchase.

Board members asked how many gallons the facility currently stores and what the expansion would add. Staff confirmed existing tanks are 12,000 gallons and the co-op expects additional 30,000-gallon tanks in the expansion. The board discussed whether a county resolution was required or whether this was primarily a notification/permit matter handled by state agencies; staff said county permitting and zoning compliance would be verified before any local approvals were issued.

Ryan Hobart (county contact) and staff agreed to work with the applicant through the permitting process and to verify zoning compliance and any required notifications. The board did not vote on an approval at the meeting but thanked the co-op for its investment in Madison County and directed staff to continue review.

Next steps: Applicant to proceed with county permitting steps and any state-level notifications; staff to report back if specific county approvals are required.