DELAND -- The city of DeLand's motor pool is becoming a green fleet -- well, almost.
In
late November, the city followed the suggestion of Public Works
Director Marvin Williams and began using a 5-percent mixture of soybean
oil to fuel heavy equipment vehicles, such as fire trucks. The mixture
is touted as a way to run cleaner machines and help reduce dependence
on foreign oil.
City Manager
Micheal Pleus said the city had been using a 2 percent mixture for
nearly two years but recently decided it was time to do more. Also,
depending on the success of the 5-percent mixture, officials are
talking about stepping up to a 20-percent mixture by summer 2008.
"Although
we would like to become a 'Green Fleet,' we cannot completely move
forward with this concept until we evaluate all of the potential
ramifications of the use of bio-fuels within our fleet," Williams wrote
in a memo.
The city is
following a growing trend of states turning to biofuel as a way to
conserve costs and reduce pollution. St. Johns County makes its own
biofuel from oil collected at local restaurants and Minnesota has a law
requiring that all diesel fuel sold in the state contain at least 2
percent soy or vegetable oil.
Pleus said using biofuel is just one of several efforts by the city to conserve and become a "green friendly city."
Other
efforts include the purchase of a hybrid car, energy-saving measures in
the design of the new City Hall and the incorporation of more native
plants at parks and facilities.
"Conservation
is an important message for the entire state," Pleus said. "I can tell
you that the City Commission has been committed to conservation and
going green for several years now."
Officials say they are hesitant to jump right into using 100 percent biofuel because there are known problems with it.
In
his memo, Williams said the mixture has been known to act as a
detergent when first introduced into existing storage tanks. It will
disperse any sludge that has settled to the bottom of the tank and can
cause massive filter plugging problems.
To
avoid that problem, fleet maintenance workers performed an extensive
cleaning of the city's diesel fuel storage tank with a biocide and
tested the fuel for water, fungi, bacteria growth and algae.
Another
potential problem is decreased power and fuel efficiency in biofueled
vehicles, Williams said. To compensate, the city continues to use a
fuel additive.
As for one of
the most talked-about problems with the mixture -- that biofuel can
freeze at cold temperatures, Williams stated that the city would not
use high concentrations during cold months "until we are sure we can
correct any additional problems that the use of biofuels may bring."
Still city leaders praised the idea as a step in the right direction.
"As
a city government, we are trying to conserve resources as we plan,"
said Mayor Bob Apgar. "And we hope that by instituting certain policies
that we encourage the community at large to also be more conservation
conscious."
