Challenging Site Considerations for New Fuel Blending Facility

For over 55 years, Kwik Trip convenience stores have operated in the State of Wisconsin. Now, with over 500 stores, their reach stretches into Minnesota and beyond. In 1993, Kwik Trip introduced the Kwik Star family of stores in neighboring Iowa. Owning their fuel blending facilities allows the company to efficiently switch between winter and summer fuel blends. Recent acquisitions found the company in need of a new blending facility in the Madison area. Snyder & Associates was retained to create a site plan for this new location in the Village of McFarland. Construction of the new fuel blending facility was slated for an industrial-zoned section of McFarland with numerous wetland areas, high groundwater, poor soils, and challenging topography with which to contend. With two potential lots to choose from, our team assisted Kwik Trip leadership in deciding which location would be best suited and most cost-effective for the blending facility.

Creative Design Resulted in Limited Wetland Disturbances

Despite choosing the best site, there were still challenges that needed to be overcome before the construction of the facility could proceed. Foremost was the existence of a wetland across the southern edge of the lot that split the property into two sections. Our team was able to turn this problem to their advantage by creating a wet pond to the south of the wetland. To divert stormwater runoff to the new pond, a retaining wall was built to elevate the site and direct the runoff over the wetland area. While this creative design practice resulted in limited disturbance to the wetland section, the work still required a wetland fill permit from the Wisconsin DNR and the Army Corp of Engineers. Our team worked diligently to stay under the 10,000 square foot threshold for obtaining a general wetland fill permit. Due to the high water table on the site and the lack of available sanitary sewer service in the area, providing sanitary facilities to the staff building was also a challenge. Our designers opted to use holding tanks as the most cost-effective measure to service the building. This new fuel blending facility allows Kwik Trip to service their stores all across southern Wisconsin. While the creative planning work by Snyder & Associates turned a challenging building site into a successful project.